AMS provides information for doctors and other health practitioners in supporting women through midlife health and the menopause.

The Information Sheets have been organised into the following management areas for ease of reference. 

Back to alphabetical listing... 

Menopause Basics

• What is menopause?
• Diagnosing Menopause
• Perimenopause or Menopausal Transition
• Glossary of Terms  

Treatment Options

• A Practitioner’s Toolkit for the Management of the Menopause
• Lifestyle and behavioural modifications for menopausal symptoms
• Menopause – Combined Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT)
• Menopause – Oestrogen Only Therapy
• AMS Guide to MHT/HRT Doses Australia
• AMS Guide to MHT/HRT Doses New Zealand
• Tibolone as menopausal hormone therapy
• NonHormonal Treatments for Menopausal Symptoms

Early Menopause

• Spontaneous Premature Ovarian Insufficiency
• Early Menopause due to Chemotherapy
• Surgical Menopause

Risks and Benefits

• Risk and Benefits of MHT
• Venous thrombosis/thromboembolism risk and menopausal treatments

Uro-genital

• Vulvovaginal symptoms after menopause
• Vaginal health after breast cancer: A guide for patients

Bones

• Calcium Supplements
• Osteoporosis
• SERMs – their role in menopause managementERMs

Sex and Psychological

• Sexual difficulties in the menopause
• Sleep Disturbance and the Menopause
• Mood and the menopause

Alternative Therapies

• Complementary and Herbal Therapies for Hot Flushes
• Bioidentical custom compounded hormone therapy

Contraception

• Contraception

 

Note: Medical and scientific information provided and endorsed by the Australasian Menopause Society might not be relevant to a particular person's circumstances and should always be discussed with that person's own healthcare provider.

These Information Sheets may contain copyright or otherwise protected material. Reproduction of this Information Sheet by Australasian Menopause Society Members and other health professionals for clinical practice is permissible. Any other use of this information (hardcopy and electronic versions) must be agreed to and approved by the Australasian Menopause Society.

Content updated July 2021

A succinct, up to date summary of the menopause.

Abstract

Menopause is an inevitable component of ageing and encompasses the loss of ovarian reproductive function, either occurring spontaneously or secondary to other conditions. It is not yet possible to accurately predict the onset of menopause, especially early menopause, to give women improved control of their fertility.

The decline in ovarian oestrogen production at menopause can cause physical symptoms that may be debilitating, including hot flushes and night sweats, urogenital atrophy, sexual dysfunction, mood changes, bone loss, and metabolic changes that predispose to cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The individual experience of the menopause transition varies widely. Important influential factors include the age at which menopause occurs, personal health and wellbeing, and each woman's environment and culture.

Management options range from lifestyle assessment and intervention through to hormonal and non-hormonal pharmacotherapy, each of which has specific benefits and risks. Decisions about therapy for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women depend on symptomatology, health status, immediate and long-term health risks, personal life expectations, and the availability and cost of therapies. More effective and safe therapies for the management of menopausal symptoms need to be developed, particularly for women who have absolute contraindications to hormone therapy.

For the full Primer visit http://www.nature.com/articles/nrdp20154

For an illustrated summary of this Primer, visit: http://go.nature.com/BjvJVX  

Click for larger view

Author contributions

• Introduction (Susan R. Davis - School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.)
• Epidemiology (Gita D. Mishra)
• Mechanisms and pathophysiology (Tommaso Simoncini and Irene Lambrinoudaki)
• Diagnosis, screening and prevention (Nanette Santoro and Susan R. Davis)
• Management (Margaret Rees, Lubna Pal and Susan R. Davis)
• Quality of life (Maryann Lumsden)
• Outlook (Susan R. Davis)
• Overview of Primer (Susan R. Davis)

Reference

Davis SR, Lambrinoudaki I, Lumsden M, Mishra GD, Pal L, Rees M, Santoro N, Simoncini T. Menopause, Nature Reviews Disease Primers. Article number: 15004 (2015) ​doi:10.1038/nrdp.2015.4 Published online 23 April 2015 

Content updated April 2015