Menopause Flashcards
What are the four theories of why menopause occurs?
- Blessings of modern life
- Senescence (protect ageing women from childbirth)
- Group selection (gene pool)
- Good mother/grandmother theory
What is the average age of onset of menopause?
50-52 years of age
What is premature ovarian failure?
- Ovarian failure under age 40
- Affects 1% of women and 0.1% before age 30
What is the popcorn hypothesis?
- Quantity of follicles declines and quality of follicles decreases
- Related of increase in FSH with age
What are risk factors for earlier menopause?
- Smoking
- Poor nourishment
Women who smoke have an earlier menopause by ___ years
1-2
What is andropause?
- Decline in testosterone level causing changes in mood/attitude, fatigue, loss of energy, sex drive, physical agility
What is premenopause?
Time from regular cycles to the beginning of irregular cycles (~40yrs - 46 years)
What is the menopausal transition?
Time from the beginning of irregular cycles to the last menstrual period
What is postmenopause?
Time from the last menstrual period onwards
What is perimenopause?
Time from the beginning of irregular cycles until ovarian senescence
What are the events that occur in menopause?
- Follicle levels reduce below critical threshold
- Inhibin B levels decline
- Release on negative feedback on FSH
- FSH levels rise
- Acceleration of follicle loss
What are the consequences of elevated FSH in menopause?
- Greater proportion of primordial follicles enter growing pool
- Accelerates depletion
- Twinning
What are the three most common symptoms of menopause?
- Hot flushes
- Night sweats
- Vaginal dryness
Why doesn’t LH rise as much as FSH in menopause?
Because LH is not affected by inhibin levels
