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- Facts About...
Women and Menopause
1-877-PA-HEALTH
Perimenopause, a period of irregular menstruation before menopause, begins around age 47.5 and lasts about four years. Menopause begins around age 51. Smokers tend to reach these stages 1.5 - 2 years before non-smokers.
Menopause is the permanent ending of menstrual periods that occurs after the loss of ovarian activity. The process begins several years before, as a woman’s ovaries begin to produce less estrogen.
The average life expectancy of women in the United States is 79.7 years. Women now live approximately one-third of their lives in the post-menopausal period.
After menopause, estrogen production is greatly reduced, leading to a number of physical and psychological effects on women. These effects may cause short-term ailments like hot flashes and long-term health problems such as heart disease or osteoporosis.
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Hot flashes are the most common signs of perimenopause.
Occurrences of hot flashes can be reduced by stopping smoking, limiting hot and spicy foods, caffeine and reducing factors that cause stress before the perimenopause stage. Other symptoms of perimenopause include insomnia, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, urinary incontinence and vaginal dryness. |
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