Hello and welcome to the Zero to Finals podcast.

My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be talking to you about menopause.

And you can find written notes on this topic at zero tofinals.com

slash menopause or in the gyne ecology section of the-definals, Obs and Guine book.

So let's get straight into it.

Menopause is a retrospective diagnosis made after a woman has had no periods for 12 months.

It's defined as a permanent end to menstruation.

On average, women experience menopause around the age of 51 years,

although this can vary significantly. Menopause is a normal process affecting all women who reach

a suitable age. There are some key definitions to be aware of. Menopause is the point at which menstruation stops.

Postmenopause describes the period from 12 months after the final menstrual period onwards.

Perimenopause refers to the time around the menopause, where the woman may be experiencing

vaser motor symptoms and irregular periods. Perimenopause includes the time leading up to the last

menstrual period and the 12 months afterwards. This is typically in women older than 45 years.

Premature menopause is menopause before the age of 40 years.

And this is the result of premature ovarian insufficiency.

Menopause is caused by a lack of ovarian follicular function,

resulting in changes to the sex hormones associated with a menstrual cycle.

Estrogen and progesterine levels are low, and LH and FSAH levels are high in response to

absence of negative feedback from estrogen.

Let's talk about the physiology.

Inside the ovaries, the process of primordial follicles maturing into primary and secondary follicles is always occurring independent of the menstrual cycle.

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