The definition of menopause is simply the natural end of a woman’s menstrual cycles. While the average age for a woman to enter menopause in the United States is 51 years old, there is some familial tendency, so you may follow your mother’s pattern. This is a very natural part of aging but can happen as early as 40 years old or younger. We call that “premature ovarian insufficiency” or simply, “premature menopause.” Menopause is basically when the ovaries stop producing estrogen. A woman today can live a healthy and productive life well into her late 80s and beyond. A woman can spend more than 40 years in menopause. What does that really mean? There is a confusing term, post-menopause, which really is just the time after the onset of menopause. If menopause is a natural process, why is so much attention applied to “treating” it? There really is no …