Menopause Health Center

Menopause is caused by the loss of the hormone estrogen in the female body. Because of the fluctuation in female hormone levels, the body adapts, transitioning to compensate for the lack of estrogen and progesterone being produced.

Other events and conditions in a woman's life can bring about menopause and menopausal symptoms much earlier in life. Surgery to remove the uterus will cause periods to stop, the definition of menopause. However, because the ovaries are untouched, symptoms such as hot flashes may not begin to occur immediately. Over time, as the ovaries produce fewer hormones, symptoms and signs of menopause could begin.

An oophorectomy — a surgery in which both ovaries are removed — along with the removal of the uterus could trigger instant menopause symptoms regardless of the woman's age. This is because the body has just lost its main and immediate supply of estrogen.