Early menopause is most often unexpected and sometimes confusing. Understanding what early menopause is and what causes it can help ease you through this transition in your life.
Early Menopause
Early menopause is related directly to age, regardless of the cause. A woman who has early menopause has not had a period in at least one year and is under the age of 45. The average age of women who are at this stage of life is 51.
The primary sign of early menopause is the year passing between periods. In addition, you can have a test to measure the levels of follicle stimulating hormone, or FSH, in your bloodstream. Since levels of this hormone increase when your ovaries stop producing estrogen during the ovulation cycle, a high level of FSH may indicate that you have early menopause. However, the levels of this hormone can fluctuate, so you may have to have the test done more than once to confirm the results.
Causes of Early Menopause
Hysterectomies, the removal of the uterus, and oophorectomies, the removal of the ovaries, can lead to early menopause if these operations were performed on younger women. Normally speaking, however, a woman will continue to produce adequate hormones to prevent early menopause if she can keep one functioning ovary.
Cancer treatments can also result in early menopause. Even light doses of chemotherapy or radiation experienced over a short period of time can trigger temporary early menopause. In this case, many women are infertile when ovulation starts again.
Autoimmune diseases can cause premature menopause. If you have an autoimmune disease, your body's immune system literally attacks itself. If you have an autoimmune disease that goes after your reproductive system, you may experience early menopause.
Early menopause can also run in families. If you have a close relative that has had early menopause, you are at a higher risk of also developing it.
Other Causes of Early Menopause
If you suspect that you have early menopause, see your primary physician. Early menopause symptoms may actually be caused by other medical problems, such as thyroid disease, pituitary disorders or Cushing's disease, so getting to the bottom of your condition is very important.
Symptoms of Menopause
In addition to changes in the timing of your menstrual cycle, symptoms of menopause can include:
 | Signs and symptoms of menopause can begin as early as 35, but the average age is 51. Women aren't truly menopausal until they've had an absence of periods for 12 consecutive months. Symptoms and their severity vary from woman to woman. |
 | How long does menopause last? It is the question asked by millions of women each day. |
 | Menopause and weight gain is a combination that no woman wants to think about, but it is all too often reality. |
Did you know women in other countries experience very little menopausal symptoms? Why is that? Women in other countries tend to be more physically active than women in industrialized countries. Daily exercise can diminish hot flashes while improving bone density. |
A nutritious diet and a diligent fitness regime are all it takes to get through the discomfort of menopause. |
