MadSci Network: Medicine |
Dear Ariane, You are right, the climacteric period is attributed to the limited supply of eggs at birth. It usually begins between the ages of 45 and 55, when the number of eggs in the woman's ovaries become depleted. Menopause is preceeded by a period of increasingly irregular ovarian cycles, during this time estrogen levels diminish and this causes the physical and emotional changes associated with menopause.
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