The point in time of your last period (retrospectively when you haven't had a period for 12 months.)
Take our free symptom testThe menopause occurs when your ovaries are depleted and stop releasing eggs. As a result, the levels of hormones estrogen, progesterone and testosterone fall. Estrogen receptors are located throughout the body: your brain, skin, bones, heart, musculoskeletal system, joints, urinary system and the genital area. Low levels of estrogen can affect all these parts of your body and therefore can cause a whole range of different symptoms.
If the menopause occurs between 40 and 45 we call it early menopause and if the menopause occurs before the age of 40 we call it premature ovarian insufficiency (POI). The term surgical menopause is used when a women had both her ovaries removed surgically or ablated her ovarian function due to radiotherapy, chemotherapy or treatment with gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues.
