Menopause is that transition in a woman’s life wherein she ceases to be reproductive. Literally, the term "menopause" means cessation of menstruation. This period usually occurs among women at around the age of 50. Menopause is a natural phase of a woman’s physiological and reproductive process and is to be anticipated in the middle years. The woman’s fertility is brought to a standstill at around these ages unless there is loss of ovaries due to illness or injury in the years prior to menopause. Most women consider menopause symptoms to be disturbing and even distressing, not only the physical manifestations, but more so the emotional symptoms.

When menopause symptoms beset a woman before the age of 40, it is termed as premature menopause and happens to 1% of the female population. When we say "menopause", it actually means the period or phase leading to actual menopause. The technical term perimenopause refers to the months or years leading to menopause. When a woman says "I’m going through menopause" and experiences menopause symptoms, that is perimenopause. As there are individual differences among women, menopause symptoms vary from woman to woman, too. There are those fortunate enough not to experience harrowing menopause symptoms other than irregular menstrual periods for several months before actual menopause.

For others, physical menopause symptoms may include hot flashes and/or night sweats and vaginal dryness. Others may have problems in bladder control and other discomforting indications such as headache, fatigue, heart palpitation and muscle and joint pain. A majority of women may have trouble sleeping and may experience emotional menopause symptoms such as mood swings, depression and irritability. Menopause symptoms can also influence a woman’s sexuality. Others may have decreased libido and may have difficulty getting sexually excited and become less sensitive. Sex may even be painful due to vaginal dryness or the thinning of the vaginal tissue. Still there is a proportion of women who consider menopause a blessing as sex becomes more enjoyable as there are no pregnancy concerns anymore.

Menopause symptoms are instigated by decreased levels of the female hormone estrogen. Each woman is born with a certain number of egg cells and once the egg cells in the ovary become gradually depleted, estrogen and other ovarian hormones likewise diminish. There are several options for a woman to consider in alleviating bothersome menopause symptoms. Although there may be remedies for minor physical menopause symptoms, it may be sensible to seek professional attention to find means to allay unpleasant menopause symptoms. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been an option to a majority of women in the past years to relieve and combat menopause symptoms.

There are women, however, who find alternative modalities other than HRT as there are concerns about its long term health risks. Therapy may likewise be a measure to address the emotional symptoms of menopause. Lifestyle and dietary modifications also facilitate in the management of menopause symptoms. Natural remedies such as the black herb cohosh may be helpful for night sweats and hot flashes as well as vitamins and other plant components.