September is Women's Health Month and we will feature topics of concern for all women.
The great Bea Arthur first introduced the topic on television's "Maude" when she went through menopause.
"Menopause is the natural cessation of a woman's menstrual periods that happens around mid-life. It's a result of the ovaries having a decline in their function and they're no longer able to release eggs or ovulate," said Dr. Susan Chapman, Castle Medical Center OB/GYN.
The average age for menopause to begin is 51 - but that's just an average. There can also be symptoms of "perimenopause."
"Perimenopause or pre-menopause is several years prior to the last menstrual period when women start to have various symptoms indicating that they're having some change in their hormonal function," Chapman says.
Dr. Chapman says the symptoms can vary in severity - and could last months or years.
"During perimenopause, the woman probably notices that she has some vaso-motor symptoms, hot flushes and sweats at night, but she'll still be having menstrual cycles although her menstrual cycles would often become more irregular," Chapman says.
There is no certain way to know when perimenopause is over and menopause begins. Because of the hormonal changes going on, Dr. Chapman says it is extremely important to pay close attention to taking care of your health.
"The most important thing that anyone can do for their health is, if they're smoking to not smoke. The second most important thing would be to try to exercise and maintain a normal body weight," she says.
