Let's begin by understanding some basic definitions. The stage of your life leading up to menopause is referred to as perimenopause. You begin to produce fewer of the female hormones, estrogen and progesterone. Like any change, this may or may not wreak havoc. It may last for as little as two years or as long as eight.
Every woman is born with thousands of eggs.
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.