Many girls learn about reproduction and menstruation when they are young before it happens. But by the time she's in her late 30s a woman's body begins to experience fluctuations in hormones and a marked decrease in egg production.
Dr. Lisa Oldham, an OB-GYN at Rush University Medical center, says this change is not on the minds of most women. She believes it's a topic that should be brought up more often between physician and patient to help women prepare for this normal part of aging.
"Most women go through the perimenopause in their 40s, then that is an opportunity to try to prevent a lot of the adverse events that could come to a women when she is in the post menopausal period of her life. So it is about preparation," said Dr. Oldham.
.For more information about UIC's research, visit http://ccm.psych.uic.edu/Rise.
