The term 'menopause' is used to define the permanent cessation or pause of the primary functions of the ovaries in a woman's body. The primary functions of the ovaries include ripening and release of ova or egg and also the production of female hormones that aid in thickening the uterine lining in order to welcome an expected pregnancy and the subsequent shedding of the uterine lining in the form of menses. Thus when menopause occurs, a woman no longer gets her menses every month. Menopause marks the end of a woman's reproductive or fertile phase. This transition from fertility to infertility is not abrupt but gradual.
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