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As the members of Canada's baby-boom generation enter their fifties, many women are experiencing menopause. Although the experience of menopause is very individual, there are some common questions.

1. What is menopause, exactly?

Menopause is the time of life when a women stops menstruating or having periods. This natural life transition is a gradual one that happens over a period of years.

2. What causes menopause?

As women age, their ovaries run out of functioning eggs and their bodies produce less estrogen and progesterone, the female hormones, and they are no longer able to become pregnant.

Since this happens over a period of years, the changes vary. Every woman's body is different. For instance, an ovary may release an egg one month and nothing the next. Hormone levels may also swing, either dramatically or gently, causing periods to become lighter, heavier, farther apart, closer or to stop completely for one or two cycles and then start again.

3. At what age do most women start to go through menopause?

Most women begin the process of menopause while in their late 40s, and, by the time they reach their 51^st birthday, have not had their period for at least one year. This is only an average, however. Some women don't finish the transition until the age of 55, while a very small number of younger women of any age may go through what is known as "premature menopause." This occurs when their ovaries no longer produce the hormones estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, and can be the result of:

• cancer therapy, including chemotherapy or radiation therapy
• surgical removal of the ovaries
• ovarian malfunction

4. How do I know if I'm experiencing menopause?

There are a number of signs and symptoms caused by fluctuating hormone levels during the menopause transition. Some of the symptoms, such as mood swings are ones that women may have experienced throughout menstruation. Others may be more specific to this menopausal period of life.

5. Can menopause have an effect on a woman's overall health?

Definitely. After menopause, a woman's risk of heart disease and stroke increases. The drop in estrogen levels at menopause can accelerate the development of osteoporosis. For the first five or six years following menopause a woman can lose 3% to 5% of her bone density each year, which could result in a higher risk of bone fractures.

6. What can women do to prepare for menopause?

In February, 2006, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada released a report on the treatment of Women and Menopause, in the 2006 Menopause Consensus Report. A key recommendation in the report, is that Health care providers should encourage menopausal women to make healthy lifestyle choices, especially with respect to nutrition and exercise.

Menopause offers an opportunity to make some changes for the good of your overall physical and mental health:

• Make sure you're eating properly by consulting Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating



• Get regular physical activity that combines aerobic, weight-bearing and stretching as recommended by Canada's Physical Activity Guide To Healthy Active Living



• Maximize your bone strength. Osteoporosis Canada recommends 1,500 milligrams of calcium each day for people aged 50 and older (one cup [250ml] of milk contains almost 300 milligrams of calcium).

7. I hear a lot of people referring to "perimenopause." What is it?

The terms can be confusing. 'Perimenopause' refers to the several years before menopause when a woman may begin experiencing the first signs of her menopausal transition. But many people use the term 'menopause' for both the perimenopausal years as well as the few years following menopause.