The menopausal transition and women’s health

Abstract

The purposes of this chapter are to: Review the recent history of research on the menopausal transition and early postmenopause Describe approaches to staging the menopausal transition and their application in recent research Summarize current understanding of endocrine changes occurring during the menopausal transition and early postmenopause Characterize symptoms women experience (hot flashes, sleep disruption, mood changes, cognitive changes, pain, sexual desire changes) and their correlates during the menopausal transition and postmenopause Chart the relationship of the menopausal transition to healthy aging.