[The menopause and its problems (author's transl)]

The first problem is one of definition : the menopause coincides in time with the arrival of anovulation and the disappearance of the menses ; the premenopause is characterised by irregularity of the cycles and the secretion of estrogens by the internal theca ; the perimenopause covers the entire period of the premenopause and the menopause itself. The second aspect considered is social and demographic : the average age seems to be rising (nowadays 52 years of age) but this is more an impression than a certainty ; in 1972, it was estimated that there were three million women undergoing the perimenopause in France ; finally, it would be easier for women to come through the menopause, if, at that age, they were entrusted with social responsibilities to fill their leisure time. A final problem relates to the understanding of the physiopathological factors involved. The growing insensitivity of the ovary and the consequent hormonal changes are well known, but the hypothalamo-pituitary axis remains intact and it is beginning to be thought that complex catecholamine interactions may be involved at this level. The complexity of hormonal balances and the varied effects of hormones and their derivatives suggest that much might be gained from studying the possibility of estrogen therapy.