HORMONAL CHANGES IN WOMEN IN MENOPAUSE PERIOD

The time in a woman's life when menstrual periods permanently stop; it is also called the "change of life." Menopause is defined as the time when there has been no menstrual periods for 12 consecutive months and no other biological or physiological cause can be identified. It is the end of fertility, the end of the childbearing years. (A woman may still, however, be able to become pregnant unless 12 consecutive months have passed without a period.) The last several weeks, this blog has discussed hormones during the reproductive cycle as well as neuro-endo connections (e.g. serotonin, estradiol, dopamine, progesterone). Around age 38 the ovarian reserve declines rapidly significantly decreasing fertility. At this point, there are far fewer follicles that can be recruited and, as a result, less egg maturation and release. This ovarian depletion results in hormonal fluctuation. All of this eventually leads up to a woman’s final menstrual period, which is on average around age 51. The first hormone to begin decreasing during perimenopause is progesterone. As the number of follicles decreases, ovulation and the resulting corpus luteum formulation occurs less frequently. This significantly decreases the amount of progesterone produced. As progesterone levels begin to fall, gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) increases, and as a result, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) increases in an attempt to recruit a follicle. At the onset of menopause, when ovarian reserve is almost completely diminished, estradiol levels decrease dramatically and estrogen becomes the most abundant type of estrogen in the body. Key words: Hormone Decreasing, Menopause Period, Estradiol, Progesterone Lh, Fsh, Vitamin D Levels