What is Menopause?

So the story goes, women are born with millions of immature eggs in their ovaries. Starting at puberty, our bodies are full of estrogen, and every time an egg matures, this happens once a month, called a 'period'.

Over the years, our supply of eggs diminishes, and once all our eggs are gone, our periods stop and the estrogen that is released goes away, triggering the menopause.

BUT, for many years before the menopause, the peri-menopause stage, our estrogen levels go full swing from high to low before the final decent. It's not just estrogen that goes rebellious, a full host of hormones that kept our bodies operating correctly also begin to rebel. From mood swings to sudden weight gain, the menopause changes the inner calculations of our bodies. Each woman's own experience and symptoms of the menopause will be unique.