Older women still need regular gynecological care even if they have not had children or are not sexually active. Many problems affecting a woman’s reproductive system happen after menopause (no menstrual period for at least 12 months). Examples are:

• About 25 percent of women have pelvic floor disorders, which are more common after menopause. These disorders can lead to accidental leakage of urine or stool and happen when the muscles or connective tissues of the pelvic area (located between the legs) get weaker or injured.
• Up to 40 percent of women experience symptoms of painful sexual intercourse or vaginal infections related to vaginal atrophy (thinning, drying and inflammation of the vaginal walls).

Transgender Health

Transgender people need gynecological care. For example:

• Transgender women need exams for cancer and other diseases, if tissue from their penis or rectum has been used to create a vagina.
• Transgender women still need prostate exams.
• Transgender men with a cervix need cancer screening.

Menopause

Menopause means that a woman has had no menstrual period for 12 months. The average age at menopause is 51.

Menopause is not a single event, but a process. The start of menopause usually begins in the 40s, when a woman’s ovaries, which supply human eggs, produce less of the hormone called estrogen.

This period of time is called perimenopause (before menopause). During perimenopause, menstrual periods become more irregular–either shorter or longer–and eventually stop.

Menopause can affect a woman’s health and well-being, and treating problems can help.

Last Updated April 2023