ABSTRACT
The menopause, as defined above, is simply one event in the whole range of anatomical, physiological and psychological events that contribute to the climacteric, a term also worthy of definition. Derived from the Greek klimakter (rung of a ladder), the climacteric
The menopause takes place at a modal age of 51 years in developed countries – and therein lies the central demographic problem, for life expectancy in the UK is now at a modal age of 81 years for women. Thus, a woman at menopause today can expect to live for some 30 years, or 40 per cent of her life, in a state of relatively profound oestrogen deficiency (Fig. 18.1).
