You will be responding to a discussion board post. This post should be 80% you, and then facts found from other sources. Its not opinionated. It needs to have critical thinking. 125 Word minimum, APA format, cited. It needs to pertain to the paragraph and what the paragraph says. Other things can be added in as well, but make sure it is not just random facts. Below is the paragraph you will be responding to:

1. Menopause and anatomical changes

“Women, like men, go through a midlife change in hormone secretion called the climacteric. In women, it is accompanied by menopause. Menopause is the cessation of menstrual cycles, usually occurring between the ages of 45 and 55.” (Saladin 2018, pg. 1067). As women get older the number of finite eggs she was born with begins to decrease. Once there is no more left, a women’s menstrual cycle will stop and she will begin menopause. Due to periods occasionally becoming erratic, meaning they can stop for several months and then come back again for seemingly no reason, it is hard to say when you've begun menopause. The physicians say that menopause is said to officially start when a woman has been without a period for over a year.

Once a woman begins menopause there are many side effects that accompany the hormone changes. Such as: hot flashes, mood swings, headaches and dryness. You many also notice your hair and skin becoming thinner as you enter the age of menopause. “Weight gain is also to be a noted side effect of menopause so you may need to work harder to stay in shape.” (How Do I Know if I’m in Menopause, 1). Once brought to the attention of a physician, many prescribe hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Hormone replacement therapy is either a pill or a skin patch that gives the woman low doses of estrogen and progesterone to relieve some of their most irritating symptoms.

Many theorists argue about the reason for menopause and why women, unlike men, become infertile in their old age. Many believe in the “grandmother theory”, which states that for most women in their old age, the stress of pregnancy or bringing an infant to term is just too dangerous and unlikely. Many theorists this that menopause was “biologically advantageous for our ancestors – in other words, an evolutionary adaptation.” (Saladin 2018, pg. 1067).

Saladin, K. S., Gan, C. A., &Cushman, H. N. (2018). Anatomy & physiology: the unity of form and function. New York: McGraw-Hill Education

How Do I Know if I’m in Menopause? (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2018 from

https://www.wedmd.com/menopause/guide/understandin…

Word Count: 360