text: Menopause is caused by changes in body chemistry.  Specifically, the hormone responsible for female characteristics - breasts, hips, periods, fat deposits, etc., is reduced significantly.  These changes can take quite a while to re-establish balance.  Remember puberty and all the changes.  Well, it's happening once again, in reverse, so to speak.  The effects can be lessened to some extent with various therapies, such as hormone replacement (HRT) and over-the-counter (otc) products.  Some HRTs may cause side-effects that are worse than what they are trying to help.