Each month one or more may be released. During menopause your body, wonderfully efficient instrument that it is, cuts back on its production of female hormones, which in turn, leads to decreased egg release. This can sometimes happen as soon as age 35. Although you may think you've reached menopause when you've stopped having a menstrual period, in fact the clinical diagnosis is not made until 13 months after your last period. For most women, this takes place sometime around age 51, but it can happen years earlier or later.
Every woman is different.
This is the term used for the years in your life following menopause. Although all women need to be aware of their risk for these diseases, they can dramatically reduce them with regular exercise and a healthy, calcium-rich diet. For more information on osteoporosis and how you prevent this disease or slow its progression, visit the Osteoporosis Condition Forum . Check out our Condition Forum main page for more information on various heart diseases and how to reduce your risk. Inc. National Institutes of Health, National Institutes on Aging, Menopause, December 1992.