Menopause usually occurs around the age of fifty years old. This is just an estimate, but surprisingly correlates quite well with when you can expect to go through menopause. Menopause occurs secondary to failure of the ovaries to produce estrogen and progestin which are the female hormones. This is a gradual process occasionally taking two to three years.
Symptoms vary from only the cessation periods to a multitude of annoying symptoms.
The most common symptoms are sweating, hot flashes, fatigue, vaginal drying, pain with intercourse, low sex drive and depression. Usually these symptoms will eventually resolve even without taking hormones. Taking estrogen will definitely stop these symptoms. First I will discuss some of the long-term problems that occur with the loss of estrogen at menopause. The bones lose calcium and become thin and brittle.