From Menstruation to Menopause: Have We Medicalised the Physiology of Normalcy? (Part 1)

Abstract

 Although, there are exceptions to the rule, women generally experience ‘menopause’ between 
the ages of 48 to 54, within which time the cessation of all menstrual bleeding becomes a 
reality. However, many women find that their bodies desist menstruating in their late thirties 
(premature menopause) or in their early forties.1 The commencement of menopause is triggered 
when the ovaries relinquish their responsibility for the production of estrogen. ‘Estrogen’ is an 
important sex hormone that is primarily produced in the ovaries, and one of its main functions 
is to regulate menstrual cycles, and moderate the inception of menopause.2