This awareness campaign is initiated and funded by Gedeon Richter UK.
What is Menopause?
The process of menopause can be divided into stages:
Perimenopause
Perimenopause is the transition phase before menopause and usually begins between the ages of 45-55 years.1
During perimenopause, a woman typically experiences a change in her menstrual cycle, such as infrequent periods and longer cycles (e.g. 6-7 weeks apart).2
 
Perimenopause ends, and you reach menopause, when you have not had a period for 12 months.1
Menopause
Menopause is a change in the female body that marks the end of a woman’s menstrual cycle due to a decrease in hormone levels.1
Menopause can happen naturally, or for other reasons such as surgery to remove the ovaries or the uterus, cancer treatments like chemotherapy, or a genetic reason.1
The age at which a woman enters menopause can vary greatly from person to person.3
What happens to my hormones?
Hormones are chemical messengers that are produced naturally in the body and travel in your bloodstream to regulate lots of different processes.
Recognising Symptoms
Menopause is associated with both mental and physical symptoms which can vary from person to person and change as you progress through the stages of menopause.4
If you start noticing possible menopause symptoms, it’s important to speak with a healthcare professional to get confirmation about whether it is menopause you’re experiencing or a different health condition.
It’s important to remember that not everyone experiences the same set of symptoms; the severity of symptoms and the age at which they start can vary between women.3,6 Some women don’t notice any symptoms at all.4 For others, the regular occurrence of even just one or two symptoms can significantly impact everyday life.
The good news is that there is a variety of treatment and management options that may help alleviate menopause symptoms.