First, keep in mind that menopause is a natural process for women and not some illness. Menopause is actually a specific date, the day that the end of menstrual cycles has occurred for twelve consecutive months. At some point in life as a woman ages, it is normal that the reproductive cycle slows and eventually ceases functioning.

However, the thirties and early forties are usually premature for early symptoms of menopause to be experienced unless there are health problems or unless there has been a hysterectomy. So what is going on?

Often, women are asking so much of their bodies. Today's woman probably has a demanding career along with family responsibilities. A stressful lifestyle likely exists with little time to attend to her own needs. There is no time to exercise and unwind from the stress of the work day. Over the months and years, the result is a toll taken on the health and well-being of a woman and early menopause symptoms.

Along with the demands required of her body, she may not be providing her body with the support needed to perform as it was designed. For example, excess caffeine and/or alcohol consumption drain the body of valuable nutrients. With little time to exercise, she may have low energy and at the same time be putting on unwanted pounds which adds to the problem instead of helping. Her eating choices may not be the best, which further depletes her body of the nutrients it requires.

This demanding lifestyle along with inadequate support can lead to experiencing one or more of the early menopause symptoms.

Common early symptoms of menopause for women are:

* Endometriosis

* Hot flashes, night sweats

* Irregular menstrual cycles

* Light or heavy menstrual flow

* Mood swings

* PMS

* Problems with sleep

* Tender or lumpy breasts

* Uterine fibroid tumors

* Vaginal dryness

* Weight gain, especially around the waist and hips

One or more of these early menopause symptoms for women may begin as early as her late twenties or thirties. And a common cause of symptoms of early menopause is hormone imbalance or the incorrect levels of her two primary hormones, estrogen and progesterone.

In a healthy woman having normal menstrual cycles, estrogen is produced for the first ten to twelve days after the previous menstrual flow. If ovulation occurs, the female body then produces progesterone for the next twelve days or so. If pregnancy does not happen, levels of both progesterone and estrogen will drop at around day 28 and menstruation begins.

However, if there is no ovulation, there will be no progesterone production that cycle since ovulation is needed for progesterone to be made in the ovaries. The result is a deficiency of the hormone progesterone and an excess of estrogen, creating hormone imbalance and early menopause symptoms. And with menopause and no ovulation, progesterone levels are reduced to zero.

All the while, estrogen is still being produced, creating more hormone imbalance and early symptoms of menopause. Besides continued estrogen production, estrogen is usually obtained from other sources. Exposure to household chemicals and cleaners, birth control pills, foods sprayed with pesticides and new construction materials and furnishings in homes are examples of sources of estrogen that leads to excess estrogen accumulation in the body.

This condition of too much estrogen in the body is called estrogen dominance. If estrogen levels in the woman's body increase beyond what is healthy, early menopause symptoms will be experienced.

How can a woman tell if she is experiencing hormone imbalance symptoms? Learn more about additional early signs of menopause and symptoms of hormone imbalance. Understand as much as you can about your health, your specific symptoms, what those symptoms may be telling you and physician-recommended natural treatments.

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