Biology of Menopause A female fetus at 20 weeks has a fixed number of follicles containing approximately 2 million eggs. At birth the female baby has about 700,000 eggs. Once a female reaches puberty she carries about 400,000 eggs. A female will have about 500 ovulations in a life time. Ovulation ceases when there are no more eggs remaining in the ovaries or when the ovaries are removed.
Most women believe that menopause begins when ovulation ceases.
Menopause actually begins many years earlier. The change is a metamorphosis - a complete change at a cellular level. This includes three stages, premenopausal, menopausal climax, and postmenopausal. For most women the menopausal process is smooth and easy, however, there are many signs of change that one might notice. Now, keep in mind that these are a range of symptoms that might be experienced by some, not necessarily by all - and the frequency and intensity will vary from person to person.