A woman reaches ‘the menopause’ once she has not had a period for at least 12 months. From this point she is considered ‘postmenopausal’. After the menopause, many of the symptoms that women experienced prior to menopause gradually ease. However, due to hormonal changes in the body as women get older, postmenopausal women are at greater risk from a number of health conditions including osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes, and breast cancer. These are explained in more detail below.