「更年期」定義為女性由正常的卵巢功能逐漸衰退至不具功能的過渡期，這期間由於卵巢分泌的女性荷爾蒙減少，可能引起身體上許多的不適：熱潮紅、心悸、情緒不穩定、皮膚萎縮、甚至有耳鳴等症狀，統稱「更年期障礙」。而婦女本身察覺得到的現象即「月經停止了」，所以「更年期障礙」也稱作「停經症候群」。其實，這些障礙，在卵巢機能衰減時(約四十幾歲)，即可能發生，並非一定在停經(平均五十至五十一歲左右)後才出現。

Menopause defines the transition period of weakened ovary function to no function for women. During this period, because of the decrease female hormone secreted by ovary, certain symptoms might appear: hot flash, palpitation, mood swing, skin atrophy and tinnitus. These symptoms can occur when ovary function starts to decrease (around 40 years old), so it doesn’t mean symptoms only occur when menstruation is stopped (around 50 to 51 years old on average) even though it’s called menopausal syndromes.