Could You Be Experiencing Premature Menopause?

Premature Menopause

If you are under fifty and experiencing hot flashes, night sweats, irritability, and irregular period you could be experiencing menopause. Most women who enter into menopause do so at age fifty, however, some women enter into it before fifty for various reasons. If you are experiencing the symptoms listed above before you are in your fifties then you are entering into premature menopause. There are a lot of the same symptoms, with the sole exception of it happening when you are younger rather than older.

What are the signs?

Hot flashes, night sweats, irritability, moodiness, vaginal dryness, irregular period, periods that are heavy or lighter, bladder irritability, incontinence, dry skin, eyes, mouth, sleeplessness, and decreased sex drive are among the main symptoms of premature menopause. One of the other symptoms that should be discussed with your doctor right away is if you have tried to conceive for over a year with no luck. The inability to conceive might be a sign that you are experiencing premature menopause. You can read more about these signs that effect women early in their lives at many online health sites.

Can it be dangerous?

With menopause there is an increased risk for certain kinds of cancer, osteoporosis, periodontal disease, tooth loss, and cataract formation. With premature menopause you enter into this stage of your life earlier which means that you will be living without your natural defense for these problems. Women who produce estrogen naturally are protected to a certain degree from these diseases, when your body stops producing estrogen naturally then there is an elevated risk to becoming sick. Not all women will get sick, so you shouldn't assume just because you are entering into menopause early that you will automatically have these medical problems. However, it is important to talk to your doctor; the younger you are the more likely you will want to talk to your doctor about the possible risks to your health.

What causes premature menopause?

Approximately 1% of women between the age of fifteen and forty-five will enter into menopause prematurely. There are a lot of different reasons for this, though the most common include premature ovarian failure. POV is caused 65% of the time by autoimmune disorders like hypothyroidism, grave's disease, and lupus. Some of the other causes have to do with how a woman's body develops. Women can be born with genetic disorders that cause them to not produce eggs, or they can have a limited number of eggs that are produced. Either way there is a good chance that you will enter into menopause prematurely.

What can you do to treat or reverse your condition?

Most of the time it is impossible to reverse premature menopause; you can however treat some of the more uncomfortable symptoms. Just like the symptoms for normal menopause, women who are entering into premature menopause can try supplements. For premature menopause because of the risk factors of other diseases women should look at treating some of the symptoms, although it is not always necessary to take hormone replacement therapy. There are a lot of natural supplements that will make the symptoms better, and ease the process of menopause.