This means she is no longer able to have children. Menopause usually occurs between the ages of 35 and 58. It is a natural event in a woman's life. Surgical menopause occurs when a woman has both of her ovaries removed. By the time a woman is in her mid 30s, the level of the hormone estrogen in her body begins to drop.
Levels gradually decline until a woman stops menstruating .
The period during which estrogen levels are dropping but the woman is still menstruating is called perimenopause or premenopause. The point at which estrogen has declined enough so that menstruation has ceased is called menopause. The period of time that begins after menstruation stops and continues for the rest of a woman's life is known as post-menopause . Symptoms of menopause vary from woman to woman. Some women will have severe symptoms, while others will have mild or no symptoms.