A natural decline in reproductive hormones when a lady reaches her 40s or 50s. Menopause is signaled by 12 months since last menstruation. Common symptoms include hot flashes and vaginal dryness. There can also be sleep disturbances. The mixture of those symptoms can cause anxiety or depression. Menopause may be a natural action with treatments that specialize in symptomatic relief. Vaginal dryness is treated with topical lubricants or estrogen. Medications can reduce the severity and frequency of hot flushes. In special circumstances, oral hormone therapy could also be used. The menopause is when a lady stops having periods and is not any longer ready to get pregnant naturally. Periods usually start too subsided frequent over a couple of months or years before they stop altogether. Sometimes they will stop suddenly.