The Basics of Menopause

Series Summary

Menopause is the permanent faltering or shutting down of the ovaries, completely changing the hormonal constitution of the woman’s body and triggering a watershed of uncomfortable symptoms and conditions. Although tied to the cessation of menstruation, this winding-down of the uterus is secondary to the hormonal changes produced in the ovaries. In late midlife, age 51 for many women, the female’s body loses fertility and undergoes a severe shift in hormone levels. Literally, menopause is a singular event, the final monthly period in a woman’s life. Casually, “menopause” is used to talk about the transitional years surrounding menopause, including the common symptoms of hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes, fatigue, and insomnia. Doctors refer to this transitional time as “perimenopause.”

In this free video series, honored physician Susan Jewell teaches you all about menopause, including definitions (what is menopause?), what happens in the body, and what to expect. Susan will share information about breathing techniques, exercising during menopause, alcohol and smoking issues during menopause, and how your diet changes. You will learn about nutrition requirements, vitamins (including the important vitamin D), herbal remedies and alternative therapies for menopause. She also tackles phytoestrogens and bioidenticals. You will also get info for support or further research. It’s all here!

Video Transcript

"Hello there, my name is Dr. Susan Jewell and on behalf of Expert Village today, I’m going to talk to you about the subject of menopause. But before I start, let me introduce myself. I’m a clinical research physician in the area of oncology, which is cancer and also a stem cell scientist in AIDS and HIV and I’ve worked at the National Cancer Institute and also at UCLA School of Medicine. Now today, I’m going to talk to you as I said, about menopause and in a series of clips, we’re going to talk about the definition of menopause, how it happens and the signs and symptoms. And then I’m going to show, talk to you about ways that you can reduce the symptoms of menopause. So I hope that you enjoy this series of clips that I’m going to talk about and that’s menopause. "