Menopause is a defining moment in the lives of women. It is an inevitable event, which occurs due to depletion of eggs and the consequent end of ovulatory cycles, characterizing the transition between childbearing age and menopause.
While men get older, their testosterone levels begin to decrease. This fall is often called andropause, in analogy to the menopause of women. The negative consequences of low testosterone in andropause, however, are less evident than those of estrogen reduction in menopause.
The two ovaries in women are organs that belong at the same time to the reproductive system and the endocrine system. By the part of the reproductive system, they are responsible for the maturation and release of the ovule to be fertilized, while for the endocrinological part, they are responsible for the production of the female sex hormones. The joint performance of both functions is responsible for the menstrual cycle during the reproductive years.
Menopause is the name given to the woman's last period, an event caused by ovarian failure, characterized by stopping ovulation and estrogen production.
