Menopause Easy Read

Women go through a big change in their body called the menopause.

This is when a woman's periods stop.

The menopause usually happens when women are 45 to 55 years old.

Menopause is a normal thing that happens to women as they get older.

Menopause starts when your ovaries stop making the hormones that make periods happen.

This means women stop getting their period and stop being able to get pregnant.

When a woman goes through the menopause there are changes that happen to her.

Her periods change.

They can become longer or shorter.

They can become heavy or light.

They might not happen every month.

When a woman is going through menopause, she can get something called hot flushes.

A hot flush is a sudden feeling of heat in your face and upper body.

A hot flush usually only lasts a few minutes.

A hot flush can happen a few times a day, a few times a week, or a few times a month.

A woman going through the menopause might wake up in the middle of the night feeling very hot and sweaty.

She might find it hard to sleep or feel very tired.

It can be harder for a woman to feel 'wet' when having sex during the menopause.

It can also make a woman less interested in having sex.

The woman might feel sad, annoyed or tired more often.

This is normal.

A doctor can help if there are problems.