Health Conditions

What causes it?

Menopause is a natural part of the aging process for women. Each girl is born with a limited number of immature eggs in her ovaries. A complex balance of female hormones promotes the maturation and release of the eggs by the ovaries. With each menstrual period, some of the eggs are lost. As the number of eggs in the ovaries decreases, less estrogen is produced and menstrual periods usually become irregular before they stop completely. For most women, the process is gradual, but some women experience abrupt physical and emotional changes. For unknown reasons, some young women undergo menopause many years before expected. Women of any age enter menopause if the ovaries are removed surgically or if they are damaged - by chemotherapy or radiation, for example. In menopause caused by ovarian surgery or damage, the production of estrogen and progesterone drops suddenly.