Climacteric aging and oral hormone replacement therapy

Abstract

In affluent societies of the West, a woman's appearance is largely appreciated through her skin aspect, which is thought to reflect in part her general health. Inevitably, skin like any other human tissue, undergoes regressive changes with age. Menopause is the time when permanent cessation of menstruation occurs following the loss of ovarian activity. The prefix meno, meaning month, is derived from the Greek, and it has been used to refer to the menstrual cycle. Pause indicates the cessation of the process. The transition from regular ovulatory cycles to the menopausal state is not an instantaneous event. Rather, a series of progressive hormonal and clinical alterations reflects the decline in the ovarian activity. The period of time between the reproductive period of life and the postmenopausal years is referred to as perimenopause or climacteric. It includes the last years prior to menopause when endocrinologic, clinical, and biologic changes associated with menopause are occurring, as well as the first year following menopause. Postmenopause, on the other hand, is defined as the year of menopausal amenorrhea and the time thereafter. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2010.