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As an army of baby boomers storms on to menopause, (nearly 35 million to 40 million right now and another 20 million in the next decade), myths and generalities concerning this time of life are the enemy.

If this were the turn of the 20^th century, menopause would signal the beginning of the end, since a woman's life expectancy at that time was only 62 years. But today, a 50-year-old woman can expect to live at least one third of her life after menopause.

Therefore, as you enter this stage of life, you are just coming into your stride. This journey, like every other, is powered by knowledge. A first step is to learn what is happening to your body and what you can do to hit the ground running.

Not a time for a midlife crisis

Expecting a midlife crisis? Actually, though we've all heard about them, you likely won't have to go through one.

A recently released 10-year study sponsored by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation reveals that most mid-lifers are doing just fine, thank you. In interviews with more than 3,000 people, researchers found that people generally have a positive response to midlife changes, citing growing satisfaction with marriage and relationships.

The majority of women interviewed considered menopause, the time in a woman's life when menstruation stops (typically between the ages of 45 and 60), to be a benign (that is, mild or gentle) experience.

Earlier studies support this view and suggest that menopause even improves mental health for some women.

Psychologists at the University of Pittsburgh compared three groups of women: those who were menstruating, those who were menopausal with no treatment, and those who were menopausal on drug therapy. The study showed that menopausal women suffered no more anxiety, depression, anger, nervousness or stress than menstruating women of the same age.

These findings are supported by a New England Research Institute study, which found that women experiencing natural menopause were no more depressed than the general population.

Still other studies suggest that menopausal women have the advantage over younger women, particularly those with young children at home, who tend to report more emotional problems.

So just how good do I have it?

It depends on you, your body, your hormones, your diet, your fitness level and your attitude. Let's begin by understanding some basic definitions.

Perimenopause. The stage of your life leading up to menopause is referred to as perimenopause. These are the years, typically the mid-40s, but possibly even in your 30s, when your body says, "get ready!" You begin to produce fewer of the female hormones estrogen and progesterone. Like any change, this may or may not wreak havoc. It may last for as little as two years or as long as eight..

Menopause. Every woman is born with thousands of eggs. Each month one or more may be released. During menopause your body, wonderfully efficient instrument that it is, cuts back on its production of female hormones, which in turn, leads to decreased egg release. This can sometimes happen as soon as age 35.

Although you may think you've reached menopause when you've stopped having a menstrual period, in fact the clinical diagnosis is not made until 13 months after your last period. For most women, this takes place sometime around age 51, but it can happen years earlier or later. Every woman is different.

Postmenopause. This is the term used for the years in your life following menopause. Once you are postmenopausal, you are at increased risk for developing two significant diseases: osteoporosis and heart disease. Although all women need to be aware of their risk for these diseases, they can dramatically reduce them with regular exercise and a healthy, calcium-rich diet. Talk with your doctor about what levels of exercise and calcium are appropriate for you.

External Resources: AMA Complete Guide to Women's Health. New York, NY: Random House Inc; 1996. Menopause. Washington, D.C.: National Institutes of Health, National Institutes on Aging; 1992.

This article was published on 1999-06-09
This article was reviewed on 2003-02-03