A lot of people believe that menopause is a condition that appears in older women, above the age of 60. But, statistics say that about 1% of women between the ages of 15 and 45 are affected by early or premature menopause. This can appear because of many reasons, and it always leaves an imprint on the lives of all affected women.It was decided that if menopause appears before the age of 45, it is considered early menopause, and if it occurs before the age of 40, it is considered premature menopause.



In many cases, the doctors are not able to determine a cause for menopause in younger women, but sometimes, there are obvious causes of premature or early menopause.The women who have premature ovarian failure have ovaries that do not work properly, and this condition will cause the naturally-occurring premature menopause. The premature ovarian failure can occur because of many reasons. In 65% of the cases, autoimmune disorders are responsible. The body sees itself as an invader, and develops antibodies to its own products, including ovum and menses. Genetic factors can also have a role in the apparition of the premature ovarian failure. Some women are born with very few eggs which will cause menopause to occur years before it should, other women are born with irregularities in their X chromosomes, interfering with egg production before menopause should begin, and there are also other women that enter into menopause early because the same thing happened to their mothers.Premature or early menopause can also appear because of the so-called surgical menopause. Because of some health reasons, like endometriosis, polyps, or ovarian cancer, women will suffer an oophorectomy, or a hysterectomy, surgeries that cut off ovarian function, and as a result estrogen levels will drop suddenly, and the women will enter into menopause.Infections such as the mumps and tuberculosis can infect the ovaries, and will affect the hormonal balance. These cases are rare, but they can be linked with premature menopause.Chemotherapy or radiation cancer treatments can kill cancer cells, but they also kill healthy cells, especially digestive cells, and ovarian cells. There can appear temporary menopause, or permanent menopause.

Usually, the symptoms of premature menopause are the same as those of natural menopause. We can mention night sweats, hot flashes, insomnia, headaches, and joint or muscle pain. There can appear body shape changes, and water retention.

Emotional ups and downs including depression, cravings, and forgetfulness can be experienced by the menopausal women.Usually, early and premature menopause tend to develop more severe symptoms than menopause occurring after the age of 45. In early menopause there is often a rapid decline in the amount of estrogen, and there can appear extreme hot flashes, fatigue, mood swings, and depression in some women.

As treatment, it is suggested that most women who have undergone early or premature menopause seek out hormone replacement therapy. Taking appropriate doses of estrogen can ease the menopause symptoms, which are very sudden and severe, especially after surgery.A good help can be given by friends, family and other menopausal women who will be your support to pass through the difficult times.

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