Menopause
Menopause typically occurs between 49 and 52 years of age. The majority of women have their last period between the ages of 48 and 55. The average age of the last period in the United States is 51 years, in the United Kingdom is 52 years, in Ireland is 50 years and in Australia is 51 years. In India and the Philippines, the median age of natural menopause is considerably earlier, at 44 years. The menopausal transition or perimenopause leading up to menopause usually lasts 7 years (sometimes as long as 14 years).
Postmenopausal confusion
Research on menopause as a whole declined with the end of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) studies, but research on the treatment of symptoms associated with menopause—especially the treatment of cognitive decline—continues. New research refutes the WHI findings that estrogen therapy (ET) is not a useful treatment for menopausal symptoms. This is especially shown in Alzheimer's research as the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study refuted the argument that a decline in oestrogens and progestogens seen during menopause increases vulnerability to neurodegenerative diseases. Mice are the main subject for research involving the effects of estrogen on brain health, cognition, and neurodegenerative disorders, and research in this area continues.