World Menopause Day: Understanding perimenopausal, postmenopausal experiences.

Last week was World Menopause Day which is commemorated on October 18 annually to raise awareness on menopause and the support options available for improving health and wellbeing.

While menopause is not a disease, there are perimenopausal and postmenopausal symptoms that women experience that can result in discomfort that affects quality of life. This is why women must understand the symptoms in order to manage it well.

Menopause marks the end of women's reproductive years which occurs between the ages of 45 and 55 years; at this point, they can't get pregnant except via specialised fertility treatments which may not necessarily be successful

Menopause is a natural biological process of ageing caused by the loss of ovarian follicular function and a decline in circulating blood oestrogen levels; the process often is gradual, usually beginning with changes in the menstrual cycle.

The first stage is the perimenopause; the period from when signs are first observed and this ends a year after the final menstrual period. This stage may span years and can affect physical, emotional, mental and social well-being.

Usually, menopause is seen to have occurred when menstruation has not occurred in 12 consecutive months without any confirmed physiological or pathological cause.

There is premature menopause which occurs before 40 years of age which is caused by chromosomal abnormalities or autoimmune disorders among other unknown causes. It can also be induced by surgical procedures that involve removal of both ovaries and medical interventions that cause cessation of ovarian function.

Symptoms experienced during menopausal transition vary; some have few while in some, symptoms can be severe and affect daily activities and quality of life...