The menopause is a normal Life event for women and not an illness or medical condition. Despite this, menopause can predispose vulnerable women to distressing symptoms that impact adversely on their quality of life and to long term medical conditions such as osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and dementia. Many healthcare professionals are uncertain about the management of the menopause, and this leads to many women not receiving treatment which is often beneficial to them. This article will cover the diagnosis of the menopause including premature ovarian insufficiency. Some of the health risks of the menopause will be discussed and treatment of the menopause, with a particular focus on hormone replacement therapy, will be covered in detail. The menopause occurs a year after a woman's last menstrual period. Symptoms of the menopause can occur before this time, during the perimenopause, and also after this time, when a woman is postme-nopausal (Box 1). In the early-1900s the average age of the menopause was 57 years, and a woman's life expectancy was around 59 years. However, the average age of the menopause is now 51 years and a woman's life expectancy is around 82 years. This means that many women are postmenopausal for around 30 years or more, which can have a negative impact on the quality of their lives.
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