Menopause

The menopause is the time of life when a woman’s periods stop. It can be a worrying time; our guide can help you through.

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How will I know when I’m menopausal?

For many women, it can be difficult to know if you are going through menopause, especially if you already have irregular periods.

Menopause is a natural biological process, officially diagnosed when a woman hasn't had a menstrual period for 12 months. A natural menopause occurs because as you age your ovaries stop producing eggs and make less oestrogen (the main female hormone). The average age of the menopause in the UK is 51.

Explore the most common topics

Managing the signs of menopause

Menopause symptoms vary from woman to woman and can be hard to live with. Our guide can help you understand and manage these symptoms.

Managing menopause symptoms

Mental health and the menopause

Changes in your hormone levels and the stress associated with menopause can impact your mental wellbeing. Our guide looks at the symptoms of poor mental health and the support available.

Mental health support

Work during the menopause

Dealing with menopause symptoms at work and the fallout from the physical and emotional effects on your career can be difficult. Our guide can help.

Managing the menopause at work

Menopause and pelvic floor health

What are the most common ‘GSM’ or ‘genitourinary syndrome of menopause’ conditions you might experience as you enter this phase of your life

Menopause and pelvic floor health

Exercise and good pelvic health

Did you know that general exercise can also help to maintain your pelvic health? Read on to discover more.

Exercise and maintaining pelvic health

A guide to women's pelvic health

If you’re struggling with urinary incontinence after giving birth or as a result of menopausal changes, we can help.

A guide for women's pelvic health

How can we help?

Managing your cortisol levels

Find out what causes high cortisol levels and how our women’s health GPs can help.

How to manage high cortisol levels

Our guide to menopause treatment

The main menopause treatment is HRT, although there are other treatments available, depending on your symptoms. Read our guide to treatment options.

Treating the symptoms of menopause

Sexual health

In the years around menopause, you may experience changes in your physical and emotional reaction to sex. There are treatments to help your symptoms, and our guide can help.

Sexual wellbeing during the menopause

I have a question about treatment for menopause symptoms

Mr Ahmed Khalil, Consultant Gynaecologist, discusses the menopause - what the symptoms are and how to access treatment at Benenden Hospital (8 videos).

What is perimenopause?

The time that leads up to menopause – which can be months or years – is known as perimenopause.

Why does menopause occur?

Oestrogen is a hormone mainly produced in the ovaries and is responsible for controlling many functions in the body including the production of an egg each month (ovulation).

As a woman gets older, their store of eggs in the ovaries naturally declines. Menopause occurs when your ovaries stop producing eggs and your body’s oestrogen levels fall. As a result, there are many changes that can occur to the body including no longer having periods and other common menopause symptoms.

Can I go through the menopause early?

Your menopause is said to be early if it occurs before the age of 45. Menopause that happens before age 40 is called premature menopause. Our guide to early and premature menopause has advice and support if this is happening to you.

When will I go through the stages of menopause?

It’s impossible to say exactly when you’ll go through the stages of menopause. Although the age of girls starting their periods has got steadily younger since the start of the last century, the age of menopause has remained remarkably consistent.

If you started your period at an early age, it’s likely that you have a greater number of egg precursors in the ovaries. As a result, you’ll tend to menstruate for longer and may go through the menopause later than most.

The average age to start is 51, and the stages of menopause can look like this:

Perimenopause

Perimenopause occurs when your periods have become irregular but haven’t stopped. The average age to enter the perimenopause is 47 and, while you may experience symptoms, you can still get pregnant.

Menopause

Menopause is generally classed as the year after you have your last period. Symptoms such as mood swings and sleep problems are common during this time.

Postmenopause

If you’ve not had a period for a year, you’re past the menopause or postmenopausal. Fortunately, symptoms of the menopause should reduce at this point for most women.

What are the signs and symptoms of menopause?

Symptoms of the menopause typically include hot flushes (which some women describe as “tropical moments”), night sweats, poor sleep, loss of concentration, issues with your sexual health and, sometimes, joint pain. Our guide to menopause symptoms outlines some of the most common signs.

Changes in your hormone levels and the stress associated with the menopause can impact your mental wellbeing. It’s common to experience stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, feelings of sadness, aggressiveness, and depression - as well as difficulty focusing and a lack of motivation. Our guide to good mental wellbeing during the menopause can help.

What are the most common menopause treatments?

The most popular menopause treatment is hormone replacement therapy (HRT) but if you’re unable to – or don’t want to – use HRT, our guide to menopause treatments can help withe some other options.

Exercise can also help by reducing your blood pressure and keeping your cholesterol levels low so that the changes in hormone levels don’t affect the functioning of your heart. Our guide includes some useful tips on staying active during the menopause.

Your guide to good health in the workplace

Your health in the workplace

If you’ve ever had a health problem at work which has left you tired or stressed, you’re not alone. Find out your rights at work and how to ask for help.

Womens health in the workplace