For some women, menopause can be a welcome stage in their lives. Occurring around age on average, menopause means that your periods have completely stopped for at least 12 months.
In total, menopause can last an average of seven years. Sometimes, it can occur for longer.
Aside from the absence of menstruation, menopause involves a whole host of effects on the body. Some of them can be uncomfortable (hello, hot flashes!), while others may go unnoticed.
Learn exactly how menopause can affect your body as well as some of the most common symptoms.
Estrogen and progesterone are the primary female hormones related to reproduction. When ovarian function declines with age, ovulation doesn’t occur regularly. This leads to irregular or missed periods.
Eventually, the ovaries stop ovulating altogether, and periods stop completely. This results in lower levels of estrogen and progesterone production by your ovaries.
You’ve officially entered menopause when you have 12 missed periods in a row. This natural life stage typically starts around your mid-40s to mid-50s and can last for several years.
While menopause means you won’t have any more periods and can no longer get pregnant, the decrease in estrogen also has several other effects on the body.
A woman is officially in menopause when she hasn’t had her period for 12 months, notes Dr. O’Toole. It can happen in your 40s or 50s, but in the U.S., the average age is 51, At this point, estrogen production has drastically decreased and your ovaries have stopped releasing eggs, which means you no longer have periods.
What to expect
“There’s a spectrum of symptoms that vary with each woman,” says Dr. O’Toole. Hot flashes are definitely common and they can vary in frequency and duration. “They may affect sleep and be a source of chronic sleep deprivation, fatigue, or brain fog,” says Dr. O’Toole. “Other symptoms that may be present are vaginal dryness, decreased libido, anxiety, depression, and weight gain.”
Does menopause affect body shape? Although menopause may not be directly associated with weight gain, it may be related to changes in body composition and fat distribution. Several studies have shown that perimenopause, independent of age, is associated with increased fat in the abdomen as well as decreased lean body mass. This suggests that menopause plays a role in many midlife women’s transition from a pear-shaped body (wide hips and thighs, with more weight below the waist) to an apple-shaped body (wide waist and belly, with more weight above the waist) (see figure). However, further study is needed on the exact role of menopause in body composition.
