ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Taken at face value, the menopause should be viewed as a normal life event. The last menses simply signifies the beginning of a new era in the woman’s life cycle: the postmenopausal phase. Since all women will undergo the menopause (or die beforehand), it cannot be regarded per se as abnormal. The menopause marks the cessation of the female reproductive potential and is characterized by markedly decreased estrogen levels and very low progesterone levels. The roles of these hormones are quite varied. The physiologic function of progesterone appears to be confined mainly to pregnancy, but that of estrogen reaches far beyond with effects on various organs and systems; and this, coupled with the confirmed relationship between the decline in estrogen and hot flashes and sweats, has undoubtedly contributed to the definition of the menopause as an estrogen deficiency state. The menopause coincides with an age-related increase in incidence of a wide variety of potentially serious medical conditions. It is little wonder that research into the relationship, if any, between the reproductive hormones, especially estrogen, and cardiovascular disease (CVD), osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s disease, for example, has attracted so much attention.
