Overview
- Clinicians confirm menopause after 12 consecutive months without menstruation due to loss of ovarian follicular function and lower estrogen, with perimenopause often bringing irregular cycles, mood changes and sleep disruption years earlier.
- The average onset falls around ages 50 to 52, yet timing differs by lifestyle, BMI and reproductive history according to WHO and studies in the International Journal of Women’s Health.
- Up to 80% of women experience hot flashes at some point in the transition, with frequency and intensity varying by race and ethnicity.
- Falling estrogen accelerates bone loss, so guidance emphasizes resistance training, adequate protein intake, and calcium plus vitamin D when indicated to reduce osteoporosis risk.
- Evidence supports non‑hormonal strategies: a brief lifestyle‑education program reduced symptom severity in Frontiers in Public Health, sexual discomfort often responds to lubricants or vaginal estrogen with psychosocial care, and supplements such as omega‑3, B6, B12 and collagen should be used only under professional supervision, as noted by Dra. Rocío Medina, an adviser to Herbalife.