Top Causes of Premature Menopause

Articles on Menopause | Topics: menopause, menopausal

by Iseult Quinn

Top Causes of Premature Menopause

Most women will experience menopause sometime during their late forties to early fifties. In the United States, the average age for most women to go through menopause is 51 but, in some cases, women may experience it at a much earlier age. When a woman of 40 years or younger stops having her period for more than a year, and begins to experience the same estrogen-related symptoms of a woman 10 or more years her senior, she is said to be in premature menopause. But what causes this condition and what, if anything can be done to reverse its effects?

In order to fully understand what might trigger a premature menopause, we must first realize that this is not only a cessation of a woman's menstrual period, but that it means the ovaries stop producing eggs that can be fertilized in her body. This leads to alterations in the body's chemistry, creating fluctuations in hormonal levels. These hormonal differences are what cause a woman's period to stop, but it also causes many other symptoms, including hot flashes, night sweats and irritability.

There are many different things that can happen to the body that can create these hormone alterations, but they can generally be grouped into one of three categories - genetics, medical procedures, and autoimmune disorders. For the most part, a premature menopause will point back to one of these three triggers. Premature menopause can be crushing to a young woman who is not expecting it; knowing the potential for it, ahead of time, will help lessen the shock of this condition, should it occur.

One of the more common reasons for a premature menopause is a medical procedure known as a bilateral oophorectomy, or removal of the ovaries. Regardless of what age a woman is, if she has her ovaries removed, it will result in her beginning menopause just days after the operation. An oophorectomy can be performed when a hysterectomy, a removal of the uterus, is done (the ovaries are removed about 50% of the time), or may be performed independently if the doctor believes that the ovaries are diseased. Additionally, doctors may remove the ovaries if certain kinds of cancers are present in the body, such as breast or ovarian cancer.

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)

Some cancer treatments, like chemotherapy or pelvic radiation therapy, can also cause a woman's body to enter premature menopause. In these situations, premature menopause may occur immediately after beginning treatments or it may take several months. Whether or not the radiation will effect the ovaries is usually dependant upon what type of chemotherapy is used, how much was administered, and what age the woman receiving treatment is; the younger she is, the better her chances that she will not go into menopause when receiving treatments.

Autoimmune disorders can cause the body's own antibodies and immune system, normally employed to fight off diseases, to suddenly attack and destroy healthy tissues within the system. While a common trigger for premature menopause, the category of autoimmune disorders is a wide one and covers a variety of conditions, ranging from thyroid disease to lupus or Graves' disease. Of all of these, hypothyroidism is perhaps the most common; a condition in which the thyroid gland fails to produce sufficient amounts of thyroid hormone to keep the body's metabolism running. It is believed that over 5 million Americans suffer from this condition and at least 10% of all women in the United States suffer from some degree of thyroid hormone deficiency. In many cases, people with hypothyroidism don't even realize they have it until a condition, such as a premature menopause, draws attention to its presence.

Genetics and defects in the chromosomes can also cause premature menopause. If a woman's mother or sister has experienced menopause on or before the age of 40, there is a greater risk that she will also experience this condition. Chromosome defects can also cause problems, as in the case of women who are born without a second X chromosome (Turner's syndrome). This causes the ovaries to form abnormally and prevents them from working properly, thereby triggering a premature menopause.

If you suspect or know that you are experiencing any of the above trigger conditions, don't be afraid to speak with your doctor, regarding the risk of premature menopause. While there is no way of reversing the effects, should it occur, better understanding the condition and ways of coping with the symptoms can help to make this transition more comfortable and less stressful. Be sure to make a list of questions and concerns for your doctor and don't be afraid to discuss sensitive subjects; the more questions you ask your doctor, the more answers you'll receive.

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Please note: All personal opinions expressed in the "Top Causes of Premature Menopause" article belong to the contributing author and are not necessarily shared by HealthExerciseSports.com.

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