Menopause is a stage of development in a woman’s life that involves the gender hormones estrogen, the so-called female hormone, and androgen, the so-called male hormone. Both estrogens and androgens are produced in the ovaries.
During a woman’s reproductive years, her ovarian estrogen production occurs in a very controlled, direct and efficient way. The process involves the production of androgen first, followed by conversion to estrogen.
In a woman’s fourth decade, a chronic and progressive loss of this conversion begins, resulting in both estrogen deficiency and increased androgen activity (from the unconverted male hormone), and symptomatic effects such as night sweats can begin. When a woman completes the transition through menopause, typically in her fifth decade, the loss of estrogen can have a negative impact on her overall health.
