By the time natural menopause is complete, hormone output has decreased significantly, but does not completely stop. Because of advances in medical care and fewer deaths during childbirth, the average life expectancy for women in the United States has increased from approximately 62 years to about 80 years since the beginning of this century. About 35 to 40 million women are currently going through or are past menopause. While menopause is defined by many people as simply the end of a woman's menstrual cycles and her ability to bear children, it is also the beginning of a new and distinct phase of her life, with its own special health issues. Symptoms of Menopause Each woman experiences menopause differently.
Some women have minimal discomfort, while others have moderate or even severe problems.
Hot flashes, the most common symptom, occur in more than 60 percent of menopausal women. Hot flashes often begin several years before other symptoms of menopause occur. Other changes involve the vagina and urinary tract. Declining estrogen levels can make vaginal tissue drier, thinner, and less elastic, which can make sexual intercourse painful. Urinary tract infections tend to occur more frequently.