Climacteric symptoms and hormonal replacement therapy: a risk or an opportunity?

Abstract

Menopause is defined as the permanent cessation of menstruation resulting from loss of ovarian follicular activity [29]. It can only be defined retrospectively. The time before menopause is termed premenopause and the time after menopause postmenopause. Postmenopause cannot be determined until after a 12-month period of spontaneous amenorrhea has been observed [29]. Perimenopause includes the period immediately prior to menopause and at least the first year after menopause [29]. Notelovitz [18] suggested the period to be defined as ranging from 46 to 55 years for most women. In a prospective study of 2570 women, McKinlay et al. [16] showed that the perimenopausal transition with irregular bleedings started at a median age of 47.5 years and lasted for a median period of 3.8 years.