Menopause is a natural process of the body that affects every woman at different ages but when it happens before the age of 40 then it is considered  to be premature or “early menopause”.  This can happen naturally or through medical intervention.  Needless to say, this can have an emotional and even physical impact on women’s health.

The signs of early menopause are the same signs that you would experience with menopause at any age.  Hot flashes, headaches, insomnia, vaginal dryness, urinary problems and other problems associated with the declining levels of estrogen in the body.  Some of these problems which include bone loss and a rise in cholesterol can have effects on women’s health as the early onset of these problems can cause them to be at greater risk for heart trouble and osteoporosis.

If you are younger than 40 and are experiencing symptoms of menopause you may just be experiencing perimenopause.  This can begin even 6 years before you reach your first year of actual menopause. Perimenopausal changes are due to the changes in hormone levels in your body as your body is gradually getting ready for menopause.  This is a natural occurrence but can have annoying symptoms.

Common signs of perimenopause include insomnia, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, irregular periods and mood swings.  This is nothing to be concerned about even if it happens in your 30s, but you can see your doctor and she will help you determine at what stage of menopause you might be.  In addition she can recommend lifestyle changes of treatments that might help ease the symptoms.

Medical intervention can also cause early menopause and this is sometimes referred to as induced menopause.  This happens when your menstrual periods are stopped due to a medical procedure.  This can be caused by having your ovaries removed (bilateral oophorectomy) in which case menopause will happen immediately.  Contrary to what many people believe, a regular hysterectomy, where just the uterus is removed, does not cause menopause unless the ovaries are also removed.  This is because hormones are produced in the ovaries and if they’re still intact, or even one is still intact, you will still be producing estrogen and therefore not in menopause.

Another thing that can cause early menopause is some cancer chemotherapies or treatments in pelvic radiation.  Radiation can damage the ovaries so that they cannot produce estrogen and in some cases, menopause may be induced with medicines in order to stop the estrogen production to prevent cancer from recurring in some women.

Menopause can occur as early as age 40 and sometimes up into the 60s but symptoms can happen much earlier.  Whether you are experiencing early menopause or just symptoms of perimenopause discuss your treatment options with your doctor so that you can plot a course that is comfortable for you.

Tags: menopause, hot flashes,  herbal remedies, black cohosh