The Time of the Menopause.
The age at which the menopause begins is one which varies owing to manifold conditions, congenital and acquired, owing to the local influences which have been brought to bear on the reproductive organs during the menacme, and to the general circumstances of life during this period. In Northern Europe it commonly begins some time between the ages of 40 and 50 years. According to the most trustworthy statistical data, the commonest age for the onset of the menopause is between the ages of 45 and 50 years. Next to these in frequency we find the menopause commencing between the ages of 40 and 45 years. If, however, the menopause does not begin during the fifth decennium, it is more apt to occur during the quinquennium after 50 than during the quinquennium preceding 40 years of age; that is to say, an abnormally late menopause is more often met with than an abnormally early menopause. In a very small proportion of women does the menopause begin either after the age of 55 or before the age of 35.