PMS and Menopause
Menopause is the point at which a woman stops ovulating and menstruation ceases, indicating the end of fertility. It important to remember that menopause is not a disease, but is a natural progression in life as puberty.
Many years before a woman stops ovulating her ovaries slow their production of the hormones oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Oestrogen and progesterone are commonly thought of as sex or reproductive hormones. Whilst oestrogen is indeed essential for reproduction, it also acts on many non-reproductive organs and systems in the body. Cells in the vagina, bladder, breasts, skin, bones, arteries, heart, liver and brain all contain oestrogen receptors and require this hormone to stimulate these receptors for normal cell function. Oestrogen is needed to keep the skin smooth and moist, and the body's internal thermostat operating properly. It is also necessary for proper bone formation. Although oestrogen levels drop sharply after menopause, the hormone does not disappear entirely. Other organs take over from the ovaries and continue to produce a less potent form of oestrogen. The organs known as endocrine glands secrete some hormones from fatty tissue to maintain bodily functions.
