Menopause Symptoms: How long does menopause last?

All grown women are aware of the menopause and their need to know about it, most importantly how long it goes on for and what changes they are likely to experience as menopause symptoms. Strictly speaking, once menopause kicks in it is with you for life, as it is the ceasing of menstrual periods, in the same way that menarche is the start of them.

When most people refer to menopause, they really are including the perimenopause, the time before and just after the very last menstrual period occurs. The perimenopause can begin many years before the actual end of having a monthly cycle and the symptoms may be subtle and increase over time or may be felt more strongly over a shorter period of time. Blood test can detect the changes that indicate the perimenopause.

The most widely experienced of menopause symptoms is erratic or atypical menstruations. The reactions we call "hot flashes" are the second. (If you can have a sense of humor about going through menopause, you can call them "power surges" instead if you like!) Periods during perimenopause can be more intense or weak, longer or shorter, or sporadic in length or interval. This can last years before menopause technically begins. Though worrisome, heavy bleeding with anemic symptoms is commonplace. Menopause commonly occurs in the mid-forties or -fifties, but earlier than that menopause can result from ovarian failure or surgical removal of the ovaries and may be more severe than natural menopause.

When many women think of menopause relief, however, they want relief from the moods swings and hot flashes. It is both uncomfortable and embarrassing, because sudden flushes and sweats may be obvious to others in ways menstrual changes are not. Most menopause symptoms are related to the changes and eventual decrease in the female sexual hormones, estrogen and progesterone. One treatment is replacing these hormones the fading ovaries lack with supplementary ones.

Many women, concerned about the increased risks for breast cancer and other malignancies associated with menopause, prefer to use natural remedies to treat their symptoms instead of prescription hormones. These include soy products, which contain a natural estrogen-like substance, and herbs like black and blue cohosh, among others. Some choose hormone replacement therapy, but take it only for a few months to get through the worst of the menopause symptoms.

Another malady of which there is increased risk is osteoporosis and heart disease, since estrogen has a protective factor against both of these diseases. To decide whether hormone supplementation is worth the side effects for any given woman depends on her family history and likelihood of being affected with menopause-related conditions without hormone therapy. Even then, though, it's wise to reduce hormones to the smallest amount that is still effective. There are other alternatives to managing these risks, which are chosen by many women.

When a woman's ovaries have been surgically removed the onset of menopause can be very sudden, or it can occur gradually over as much as ten years. The important thing is that the effects are comprehensively controlled while minimizing any negative impacts from the therapy used.

About the Author

Francine Cook is an ex-nurse (retired) who now writes articles on womens issues. Francine is the editor-in-chief of Menopause-Answers.info, a site where you can get more details on menopause symptom such as menopause weight gain and hot flashes in menopause

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