Library · Physiology
Menopause
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Menopause is the natural, permanent end of menstruation, and it happens because of a lack of estrogen, the ovary's main hormone. It is not declared the day a period fails to come: it is marked once amenorrhea, the absence of menstruation, has gone on for twelve months in a row.
It starts in the ovary. That is where the follicles live, structures that each hold an egg and that get used up over the course of a lifetime. When too few are left, they can no longer respond to follicle-stimulating hormone, the signal the brain sends to get the cycle going. The ovary runs out of follicles that can respond, and the cycle no longer starts. Without that response there is no ovulation, and estrogen production drops.
And there is a hormonal consequence that persists long afterward. Once menopause is established, luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone are left uninhibited, meaning nothing holds them back, and they stay high for years.
In brief
Menopause is the natural, permanent end of menstruation caused by a lack of estrogen, and it is marked once amenorrhea has lasted twelve months.
The ovary's primary follicles decline until too few remain to respond to follicle-stimulating hormone, so there is no ovulation and not enough estrogen.
The ovary runs out of follicles that can respond, and the cycle no longer starts.
After menopause, luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone are left uninhibited and stay high for years.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingMenopause, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated