Menopause is when your periods stop due to lower hormone levels. It affects anyone who has periods. Menopause usually affects women between the ages of 45 and 55, but it can happen earlier. Menopause can happen naturally, or for reasons such as surgery to remove the ovaries (oophorectomy) or the uterus (hysterectomy), cancer treatments like chemotherapy, or a genetic reason. Sometimes the reason is unknown.

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is a treatment used to help menopause symptoms. It replaces the hormones oestrogen and progesterone, which fall to low levels as you approach the menopause. Oestrogen and progesterone are an essential part of period cycles, ovulation and pregnancy. They also keep your bones healthy. As you get older, the loss of these hormones can have a big effect on your body.

There are other ways of treating menopause symptoms if you cannot take HRT or prefer not to take it; from Lifestyle Changes to Other Medicines for menopause symptoms, Herbal Remedies and Complementary Medicines for menopause symptoms. If you're unable to take Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) or decide not to, you may want to consider alternative ways of controlling your perimenopause and menopause symptoms.