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of oral forms of hormones, the use of
topical estrogen and/or progestin is used

more nowadays. Other treatments for
menopause include antidepressants to

brighten dark moods and help ease hot
flashes, sleeping pills and anxiolytics, and
bone-strengthening medications to slow

down bone loss and prevent fractures.

Menopause officially happens when it has
been at least 12 months since a woman’s last
menstrual cycle. Just as dried or aged plants

cannot bear fruits, menopause also means
a woman can no longer get pregnant.

Here in the West, many women throw
their hats up in the air in glee, relishing
the prospect of no longer having to deal

with their dreaded monthly period and the
use of various methods of contraception

to prevent unwanted pregnancies. But for
many women, no longer being fertile can
signify the loss of an important chapter in

one’s life and adjusting to the natural aging
of the body can be a big hurdle.

And now, menopause through
Ayurveda…

Menopause, or the cessation of menses

(raja pravrutti), is known as raja nivrutti. It
marks the end of the pitta phase and start
of the vata phase of life, just as menarche

marks the end of the kapha phase and
beginning of the pitta phase of life.

A few thousand years ago, Acharya
Sushruta gave the average onset of

menopause as 50 years, which, not

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