Menopause Terms You Need To Know

Menopause:

A woman's final menstrual period. Occurs when her ovaries run out of eggs (a natural process) or when her ovaries are removed surgically. Usually takes place between ages 48 and 52.

Climacteric:

A medical term for the transition phase from a woman's reproductive years to her nonreproductive years, as the function of her ovaries declines and her body's estrogen and progesterone levels drop.

Perimenopause:

A lay term referring to the time around (before and after) the menopause. Often used as a synonym for the climacteric.

Estrogen:

Category of female sex hormones. Women produce three major types of estrogen: estradiol, estrone, and estriol.

Progesterone:

Another female hormone, naturally produced by the ovaries only during the second half of the menstrual cycle. The hormone of pregnancy for "gestation."

Note: Estrogen and progesterone affect hundreds of sites in your body, including bones, breasts, blood vessels, reproductive and urinary organs, skin and mucous membranes, and the endocrine system.

Progestin:

The synthetic form of progesterone similar to the hormone naturally produced by the ovaries, but with a different chemical structure and causing different actions and effects in the body.

Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH):

During the reproductive cycle, your pituitary gland releases FSH, which stimulates egg-bearing follicles within your ovaries to ripen, prior to releasing an egg. At the menopause, your ovaries have no more eggs to release, estrogen levels fall, and your FSH level increases dramatically, trying to signal your ovaries to respond. This elevated FSH level, measured with a blood test, is one piece of information that may help to confirm if you are menopausal. It's important to understand that FSH levels may fluctuate from month to month in the years before menopause, so one test showing high FSH levels doesn't necessarily mean you are menopausal. Many physicians rely on an FSH test and the fact that a woman has not menstruated in 12 months as confirmation of menopause.

Hormone replacement (supplementation) therapy (HRT) or Hormone Therapy (HT):

Hormone therapy is often prescribed for managing symptoms that stem from hormone imbalance. Replacing or supplementing a single hormone or multiple hormones that the body is no longer producing (or is producing in lower amounts) can offer relief from symptoms that often accompany PMS, perimenopause, and menopause in women,(andropause in men,) and can also help promote bone and vaginal health. Low-dose natural hormone therapy prescription options include a wide variety of customized dosage strengths and forms:(Even-Release tablets; Micronized Oil capsules; transdermal creams and gels; suppositories and rectal suspensions). Conventional-strength dosage forms are also available by prescription.