Signs of Early Menopause – When to See a Doctor

Articles on Menopause | Topics: menopause, menopausal

by Xander York

When people hear the word menopause they first think about all the horrible side affects and that it only happens to women in their late 50's and 60's. No woman considers that it happens to all women including her self. Menopause is not just for older women it can be just as common for those women who are younger. Premature or early menopause is way more common that many people believe. In fact it truly affects approximately 1% of all women between 15-45. There are so many reasons that this can occur and is awful for many women to have to suffer this plight so early in life.

The onset of early menopause is so commonly confused and is thought to be linked to premature menopause, but it is not the same at all. These are two different things all together. It is about the age that makes the difference in the name. If you are under 40 when you go through menopause, then you have what is called premature menopause, if you are between 40 and 45 then it is early menopause. Finally many doctors are now finally seeing that many young women are suffering from a premature menopause and are trying early intervention to help them through it. This is the leading cause of infertility in women in their late 20's and 30's and they are left confused and wondering why this is happening to them.

For those poor women who do suffer from a premature menopause the majority of the time there is no reason that the doctors can find. This is a very frustrating issue for those who suffer from this condition, especially if they have just decided to start having babies. There are some diagnostic forms of early and premature menopause that are very common and not usually noticed to younger women who are birth control till they go off of it and find that their menstrual cycles are all messed up. One of the most obvious causes is premature ovarian failure (POV) and is the leading cause of premature menopause in women under 40 years old. The ovaries in these women are not functioning, as they should be for their age. They have either stopped producing the right hormones that are needed for ovulation or they no longer are making viable eggs each month.

Historical Quote

Democracy is the menopause of Western society, the Grand Climacteric of the body social. Fascism is its middle-aged lust.

—Jean Baudrillard (b. 1929)

There are so many possible reasons that POV can occur such as autoimmune diseases, which account for over 65% of the cases, genetic factors, X chromosome irregularities, or women who were born with a very small amount of eggs. With those suffering from autoimmune disorders the body develops antibodies to fight itself including the eggs and uterine lining. Genetic factors are a possibility if the woman's mother had an earlier than normal menopause. It is noticed that 5% of women will follow their mother's footsteps into early or premature menopause. If you have an X chromosomal disorder there is a good chance that egg production will never start or that it will stop very early in life than other women.

Another very common and easily diagnosed version of premature and early menopause is surgical menopause that involves the removal of the uterus along with both ovaries. There are many reasons why a woman may be forced into the decision of a complete hysterectomy such as endometriosis, polyps, fibroids, hemorrhaging during a C-section, or ovarian cancer. This can be a very emotional decision for any woman to have to make and carries with it the symptoms and repercussions of menopause even though the woman is very young. In addition, this is a common occurrence in any woman who suffers from any type of cancer who has to go through radiation or chemotherapy for their cancer treatments. These treatments kill the cancer cells but are also known to attack and kill healthy cells as well. The highest cell populations that are at risk are the skin cells, cells of the digestive tract, and ovarian cells. Some of these women who have to undergo such treatments can either go into a temporary menopause or permanently put her into menopause depending on how rigorous the regime is. There are several infections that are triggers to premature and early onset menopause such as mumps and TB (tuberculosis).

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Please note: All personal opinions expressed in the "Signs of Early Menopause – When to See a Doctor" article belong to the contributing author and are not necessarily shared by HealthExerciseSports.com.

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