This starts a cascade of effects: your ovaries become less able to respond to reproductive hormones, like follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which means they then stop making oestrogen and progesterone. These are the hormones that regulate menstruation and are needed for fertility, and it’s the lack of these that causes those classic menopause symptoms.
5 Sometimes, there can be other causes of menopause too, like certain cancer treatments.
OK, that’s the physical reasons that trigger menopause, but why do women actually go through it?
One theory is that it’s an evolutionary throwback, giving women a chance to care for their grandchildren, pass on their knowledge, and safeguard the next generation of their genes.6