Why do hormone levels change during menopause?

As you approach menopause, the ovaries gradually contain fewer eggs and become less responsive to the signals from the brain that normally trigger ovulation. As a result, estrogen and progesterone production declines and becomes less predictable.

This decline is not a smooth, steady drop. Hormones can spike and dip unpredictably during perimenopause before settling at consistently lower levels after menopause, which is part of why symptoms can feel inconsistent.