Menopause, by definition, is 12 months without a menstrual period. This generally happens around the age of 50, but it can occur gradually any time from age 40 to 58. It is a natural process that everyone born with ovaries will experience.
Condition in
Menopause
Overview
What Is Menopause?
Menopause, by definition, is 12 months without a menstrual period. This generally happens around the age of 50, but it can occur gradually any time from age 40 to 58. It is a natural process that everyone born with ovaries will experience.
Menopause is part of a broader transition that includes perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause. During this transition, the body experiences a significant decline in estrogen and progesterone production, two hormones produced by the ovaries. These hormonal shifts can affect nearly every system in the body, influencing metabolism, heart health, bone density, and mood regulation. Although these changes are natural, they can impact quality of life, making it important to seek guidance from a healthcare provider who can help manage symptoms and support long-term health.
Menopause Symptoms
People undergoing menopause may experience physical and mental symptoms, including hot flashes, sleep interruption, vaginal dryness, incontinence, mood swings, lower libido, depression, and changes in skin, hair, and nails. The decline in estrogen that occurs after menopause can also result in osteoporosis.
Physical Symptoms
During menopause, hormonal changes can cause a range of physical effects. Many people experience what are known as vasomotor symptoms—hot flashes and night sweats—along with other changes related to shifting hormone levels.
- Hot flashes: Sudden feelings of heat that spread through the upper body, often causing flushing or sweating. These can happen several times a day and vary in intensity.
- Night sweats: Episodes of excessive sweating during sleep, often linked to hot flashes, that can disrupt rest and leave you feeling tired or irritable.
- Irregular periods: Menstrual cycles may become shorter, longer, heavier, or lighter before stopping completely. This is a common sign of perimenopause.
- Vaginal dryness: Reduced estrogen can cause the tissues of the vagina to become thinner and less lubricated, leading to discomfort during intimacy or daily activities.
- Sleep changes: Many people experience difficulty falling or staying asleep, often connected to night sweats or changes in mood and hormone levels.
Emotional Symptoms
Alongside physical changes, menopause can bring emotional and cognitive shifts influenced by fluctuating hormone levels. Many women notice differences in mood, concentration, and stress response during this transition.
- Mood swings: Shifts in estrogen and progesterone can affect neurotransmitters in the brain, leading to sudden changes in mood, irritability, or periods of sadness.
- Anxiety: Some women experience new or heightened feelings of worry, restlessness, or tension as hormone levels fluctuate and sleep patterns change.
- Memory changes: Difficulty focusing or short-term forgetfulness may occur during menopause, often related to the hormonal changes, disrupted sleep, or increased stress.
Long-Term Changes
As estrogen levels decline, menopause can have lasting effects on the body that go beyond immediate symptoms. These long-term changes may influence bone, heart, and metabolic health, making ongoing care and prevention especially important.
- Bone loss: Lower estrogen levels can accelerate bone thinning, increasing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures over time. Regular exercise, calcium intake, and bone density screenings can help protect bone health.
- Changes in cholesterol: Hormonal shifts may lead to higher LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and lower HDL (“good”) cholesterol, which can raise the risk of heart disease. Monitoring cholesterol levels and maintaining a heart-healthy lifestyle are key.
- Weight fluctuations: Many women notice changes in body composition during and after menopause, including increased abdominal fat or slowed metabolism. Staying active and eating a balanced diet can help manage these changes.
How to Manage Menopause Symptoms
Managing menopause is about finding the right balance of lifestyle changes and medical and emotional support. For some people, simple adjustments—like staying active, eating nutrient-rich foods, and maintaining consistent sleep—can make a big difference in easing symptoms. Others may benefit from medical treatments such as Menopause Hormone Therapy (MHT), non-hormonal medications, or vaginal moisturizers to address specific concerns. Because every person’s experience is unique, talking with a healthcare provider that specializes in Women’s Health, like an OBGYN or Menopause Society Certified Provider (MSCP), can help identify safe, personalized ways to relieve discomfort and protect long-term health.
The Stages of Menopause
Menopause doesn’t happen all at once—it unfolds in three main stages that mark gradual changes in hormone levels and menstrual patterns. Understanding each stage can help you recognize what’s happening in your body and know when to seek support.
Perimenopause
This is the transitional phase leading up to menopause. Hormone levels begin to fluctuate, causing irregular periods, hot flashes, or mood changes. Perimenopause can last several years until menstrual cycles stop completely.
Menopause
Menopause is officially reached after 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period. Estrogen and progesterone levels drop significantly during this time, and symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, or sleep disturbances are most common.
Post-Menopause
This stage begins after menopause and lasts for the rest of a person’s life. Some symptoms may lessen, but lower estrogen levels can increase the risk of bone loss, heart disease, and other long-term health changes—making ongoing care and preventive checkups important.
Causes
The most common cause of menopause is natural aging, typically occurring between ages 45 and 55. However, menopause can also occur earlier due to other factors, including:
Surgery or Medical Treatments
Menopause can be surgically caused by a hysterectomy which is a procedure that removes the ovaries and uterus as a treatment for certain disorders.
Primary Ovarian Insufficiency
Some women experience primary ovarian insufficiency which is when the ovaries stop functioning normally before age 40 due to genetic factors, autoimmune conditions, or unknown causes.
Regardless of the cause, the hormonal changes of menopause are the same, and understanding them can help guide symptom management.
Our approach
M Health Fairview's Approach to Menopause Treatment & Support
M Health Fairview's women's health specialists offer an interprofessional multidisciplinary approach to create a health optimization plan throughout the menopause journey and beyond. While simple hormone replacement may be an option for some women, we focus on all aspects of your health and well-being to design a realistic plan for your sleep, nutrition, weight, exercise, and mental health.
When to See a Provider for Menopause Treatment
While many menopause symptoms are a normal part of aging, speaking with an expert can provide you with support and resources for a more comfortable overall experience.
It's especially important to reach out to a healthcare provider if anything feels unusual or severe.
Seek medical care if you experience:
- heavy or prolonged bleeding
- depression or persistent mood changes
- unexplained pelvic or abdominal pain
- sudden changes in weight
- new fatigue
- symptoms that disrupt daily life
Talking with a Women’s Health provider can help rule out potential conditions, ease your symptoms, and protect your overall wellbeing.
Menopause FAQs
Most women begin the transition to menopause, known as perimenopause, in their 40s. The average age of menopause is around 51. However, the timing can vary widely, with some women experiencing symptoms as early as their late 30s or as late as their mid-50s.
Menopause that occurs before age 40 is considered premature menopause. This can happen naturally or be caused by factors such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, or certain medical conditions that affect the ovaries. Women who experience premature menopause should talk with a healthcare provider to discuss hormone balance and long-term bone and heart health.
Menopause symptoms can last anywhere from a few months to several years. On average, most women experience symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats for about four to eight years. The intensity and duration vary from person to person, depending on genetics, lifestyle, and overall health.
The worst symptoms of menopause are often considered hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disruption, mood changes, and vaginal dryness. For some women, these symptoms can be intense enough to interfere with daily life
Perimenopause is the stage leading up to menopause, when estrogen levels start to fluctuate and menstrual cycles become irregular. Menopause begins once you’ve gone 12 full months without a menstrual period. While symptoms can overlap, perimenopause is marked by hormonal changes and irregular bleeding, whereas menopause represents the end of menstrual cycles altogether.
Providers for Menopause
View All ProvidersLocations for Menopause
M Health Fairview Women's Clinic - Minneapolis
M Health Fairview Women's Clinic - Minneapolis
M Health Fairview Clinics and Specialty Center - Fridley
M Health Fairview Clinics and Specialty Center - Fridley
M Health Fairview Clinics and Surgery Center - Maple Grove
M Health Fairview Clinics and Surgery Center - Maple Grove
M Health Fairview Clinics and Specialty Center - Princeton
M Health Fairview Clinics and Specialty Center - Princeton
M Health Fairview Clinics and Surgery Center - Minneapolis
M Health Fairview Clinics and Surgery Center - Minneapolis
M Health Fairview Clinics and Specialty Center - Maplewood
M Health Fairview Clinics and Specialty Center - Maplewood
Treatments for Menopause
Services for Menopause
Menopause is a natural transition that doesn’t always require treatment, but many women choose care options to relieve uncomfortable symptoms and protect long-term health. At M Health Fairview, providers help you find the right balance of lifestyle changes, nonhormonal options, and hormone-based treatments to match your needs and health history.
Hormone Therapy
Hormone therapy (HT) replaces some of the estrogen and progesterone that the ovaries no longer produce. This treatment can ease hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness, and may also help prevent bone loss.
- Estrogen Therapy (ET): For women who’ve had a hysterectomy, estrogen alone may be prescribed in the lowest effective dose for the shortest needed time.
- Estrogen-Progestin Therapy (EPT): For women who still have a uterus, a combination of estrogen and progesterone (or a similar progestin) helps protect the uterine lining while managing symptoms.
Because hormone therapy has potential risks—such as an increased risk of blood clots, stroke, or certain cancers—it’s not right for everyone. Your M Health Fairview provider can help you decide whether HT is a safe option based on your age, personal and family medical history, and timing of menopause.
Vaginal Estrogen and Local Treatments
Low-dose vaginal estrogen creams, tablets, or rings can relieve vaginal dryness, discomfort, and pain during intimacy. These treatments deliver estrogen directly to vaginal tissues with minimal absorption into the bloodstream. A daily vaginal DHEA suppository (prasterone) or oral ospemifene may also be used to relieve dryness or painful intercourse.
Nonhormonal Medications
For women who cannot or prefer not to take estrogen, several nonhormonal medications can reduce hot flashes, mood changes, or sleep problems:
- Antidepressants (SSRIs and SNRIs): Low doses can reduce hot flashes and help with mood swings.
- Gabapentin: Commonly used for nerve pain, this medication may lessen nighttime hot flashes.
- Fezolinetant: A newer, FDA-approved nonhormonal medication that targets the brain’s temperature control center to reduce hot flashes.
- Clonidine or Oxybutynin: Sometimes used to relieve hot flashes or bladder-related symptoms, though they may cause side effects in some patients.
Lifestyle and Supportive Care
M Health Fairview providers also focus on lifestyle changes and supportive care to help women manage symptoms naturally and stay healthy long-term:
- Staying active with regular physical activity to support heart, bone, and emotional health
- Maintaining a balanced diet rich in calcium, vitamin D, and phytoestrogen-containing foods like soy and flaxseed
- Avoiding hot flash triggers such as spicy foods, caffeine, or alcohol
- Practicing stress-reduction techniques like yoga, deep breathing, or meditation
- Ensuring quality sleep and maintaining a healthy weight
- Support groups, counseling, and behavioral therapies can also help manage emotional symptoms like anxiety or mood swings during menopause.
Ongoing Care and Prevention
Even after symptoms improve, menopause can impact long-term health, including bone density and heart health. Regular checkups with your M Health Fairview provider help track these changes, update treatment as needed, and keep you feeling your best through and beyond menopause.