What happens after menopause?

Many women spend about a third to a half of their lives after menopause, and face increased risk for heart disease, osteoporosis, and memory deterioration. Hormone replacement therapy may decrease the risk for these conditions.

Women of the 1900’s often died before or shortly after menopause. But current statistics indicate that most women now spend roughly one-third to one-half of their lifetime in postmenopause. To put this into perspective, we should realize that some women have lived only half of their lives at menopause! This stands in stark contrast to common sociological ideas, which treat menopausal woman as though their lives are almost over.

However, menopausal women face challenging health risks to a greater degree than do women of reproductive age. Estrogen and progesterone loss greatly increases the risk for osteoporosis, heart disease, and possibly memory deterioration. Some women may choose hormone replacement therapy to help prevent diseases related to estrogen deficiency.