Women will either go through surgical menopause of natural menopause.  It is important that you understand the difference in order to make the right decisions for you and your body.  Surgical menopause is defined when have their ovaries removed surgically for various reasons.  Ovaries play important roles in the body.  First, they produce eggs that will allow a woman to become pregnant and second, they produce important hormones including estrogen, progesterone and testosterone.

When a woman goes through natural menopause, she stops menstruating due to lowered hormone production.  In natural menopause, the ovaries are still intact and will continue to produce low levels of hormones.  Because surgical menopause removes the ovaries entirely, no hormones are produced.

The most significant concern with surgical menopause is the loss of these hormones in the body.  Some women turn to hormone replacement therapy.  Hormone replacement therapy or HRT is controversial however.  There is an increased risk of breast cancer, heart disease, strokes and dementia. To understand all the risks of HRT, be sure to consult your doctor.