Menopause is different for each woman that goes through it. Women vary with what their menopause symptoms are. Some have very light symptoms of occasional hot flashes, a few mood swings, and an occasional night sweat. Other women have hot flashes several times a day along with massive mood swings. They also have nightly night sweats, no sexual drive, and even vaginal dryness.

It's not always clear why menopause happens early which of course can make you feel frustrated and even annoyed. Often, however, there are reasons why it has happened at an earlier time of life and we'll explore these reasons now...

When women have to have a hysterectomy it throws them into menopause immediately. Women have had to have hysterectomies for various reasons early in their lives sometimes cancer is at fault and sometimes they have fibroid tumors bad enough to need them. This is one reason for women having either premature or early menopause. Menopause often happens to women going through treatment for cancer. Chemotherapy kills good cells even in the ovaries along with the cancer cells. Sometimes these women only go through menopause temporarily though sometimes it can by permanent though.

Premature ovarian failure (POV) can cause early menopause. When this happens the ovaries stop egg production and also hormones cease to be produced. POV can be caused by autoimmune diseases and a genetic predisposition can increase the likelihood.

Symptoms including mood swings, night sweats, insomnia, headaches, muscle pain and hot flashes are not uncommon and whilst similar to those that occur regularly in menopause, they can be more severe for women who experience early menopause due to illness and surgery.

A rapid loss of estrogen in early menopause can cause not only mood swings but women can get depressed, forgetful, and have also cravings due to the changing hormone levels in the body. Unfortunately, when menopause is brought on early, women will tend to get these symptoms much more quickly than in natural menopause.

You should try to get a support group around you to help you when things get tough. Friends and family plus of course others going through the same experiences as you will be a real help in giving support and encouragement. It may be that you need to take some form of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as a method of treatment for your early menopause.

It has been suggested that taking supplements with red clover isoflavone or Black Cohosh can reduce hot flashes and other related symptoms of menopause. Other more common treatments include Evening Primrose Oil, Vitex Agnus Castus, and Dong Quai. All are available at good health food stores but you should educate yourself thoroughly before taking these or any course of HRT.