Menopause is NOT a disease!, though you would think otherwise based on what you hear in the media. 

While decline in many bodily functions is a part of aging, it is not necessary to be symptomatic. Symptoms of menopause include…

Sex hormones are intimately involved with adrenal hormones, since they all begin with the same chassis, cholesterol. Increases in cholesterol levels as we age, in part, can be due to the body trying to keep up with production, especially as the ovaries go into semi-retirement (peri-menopause) and full retirement (menopause).

… edits pending

thought to be caused by environmental and nutritional factors.  Especially concerning are man-made chemicals that are called EDC’s (Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals), 

These EDC’s affect other species. For example, in frogs during development, the branch point when the organism becomes male or female can be swayed by EDC’s, up to 99% female, causing obvious issues for persistence of a species. In humans, men have progressively lower sperm counts and women have increasing problems with fertility in part due to these effects.