Menopause is a completely normal phase of life for women, and when it happens in healthy women it is accompanied by certain physical changes which could be distressing, unless the women experiencing them understand why they are occurring. Many myths and untruths have arisen around the subject of menopause, however, including the one that during menopause the ovaries will shrivel and eventually disappear.

Research ahs shown that in some women menopause can begin as early as the thirties and forties, and early menopause may be a sign that those experiencing it simply have too much stress in their lives. The entire process of menopause will take at least a decade to complete, and its fully pronounced effects will be visible in most women by the time they reach their mid-fifties.

So the average age of menopause is usually between the mid-forties and the mid-fifties, but science has yet to come up with a method for pinpointing the onset of menopause. The general rule of thumb is that any woman who has not menstruated for twelve consecutive months is in menopause. Another factor used to determine the average age of menopause is the age when a woman’s mother reached menopause, as most women will experience menopause at around the same age as their mothers.

Ethnicity, birth control use, the number of children a woman has had, or the age at which a woman began menstruating have no effect at all on the average age of menopause. Research does indicate, however, that smoking can cause early onset menopause.

Menopause occurs in three distinct stags; perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause. The ages at which they occur can be a factor in the average age of menopause.

There are three types of menopause to consider which are perimenopause, menopause as well as postmenopause that can help determine the average age of menopause. But the most accurate way to gauge the average age of menopause is to keep track of when a woman first experiences changes in her menstrual periods.

If her periods become lighter and last for a shorter time, she is likely to have entered perimenopause. But some women can experience full menopause and the cessation of menstruation in their thirties, while others may continue to menstruate well into their fifties. So the average age of menopause can be difficult to estimate. For more info see on post menopause you.

Women who begin menstruating early in life tend to have a delayed menopause. But women who have had a hysterectomy, research shows, are likely to experience menopause about four years earlier than the average,. Finally, perimenopause can affect the average age of menopause because it lasts anywhere from ten to fifteen years.