Longevity - Menopause And Your Life: Menopause Managing The Change Of Life

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Longevity

In the United States, the average lifespan for women is near 80. So, the average woman can expect to live another 30 years or so after menopause. Thirty years may sound like a long time, but around the time of menopause, many women begin to sense that life is finite. There isn't as much time left to attain goals and dreams. You may question whether you've pursued your own passions, or instead led a life that satisfied the interests of your parents, spouse, children, or employers. You may step back and evaluate how you would like to spend your future decades. These feelings lead some women to embark on bold, new journeys in life or to work to maintain or improve the life they've built. Mortality issues are raised for women who now have parents with chronic or disabling illnesses. The death of a parent can be a time of much soul-searching.

Figure 3: Percent of the U.S. population that is female Women outnumber men by age 25, when they make up 50.3% of the U.S. population. By age 100, women comprise 81.7%.

Last updated:	August 13, 2007