Most causes of early menopause are beyond your control. Smoking cigarettes is the only lifestyle factor that may cause early menopause. You can reduce your risk of menopause by quitting smoking. The other causes of menopause like health conditions, surgeries or treatment for cancer are unpreventable in most cases.
Prolonged breastfeeding, use of oral contraceptives, and, believe it or not, higher levels of education are all associated with a later onset of menopause. Maybe unsurprisingly, smoking tobacco decreases your number of healthy eggs, triggering natural menopause earlier.
Menopause can result from: Naturally declining reproductive hormones. As you approach your late 30s, your ovaries start making less estrogen and progesterone — the hormones that regulate menstruation — and your fertility declines.
Menopause that happens before age 40 is called premature menopause. Menopause that happens between 40 and 45 is called early menopause. About 5% of women naturally go through early menopause. Smoking and certain medicines or treatments can cause menopause to come earlier than usual.
Perimenopause can begin in some women in their 30s, but most often it starts in women ages 40 to 44. It is marked by changes in menstrual flow and in the length of the cycle. There may be sudden surges in estrogen.
The inheritance of menopause is probably between 30 and 85%. It is believed that 15 to 30% of POI cases are familial [37]. A greater degree of heritability was found between 40 and 45 early menopause family history women.
Excessive stress, which leads to elevation of stress hormones, can also negatively affect reproductive ability, including by accelerating menopause.
Women with premature or early menopause have reduced oestrogen levels, which increases long-term health risks of osteoporosis and heart disease. Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) or the oral contraceptive pill will help to reduce these risks and should be taken until the expected age of menopause.
Delayed menopause has been found to be associated with: Longer reproductive span and reduced overall cause mortality. Increased risk of breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancers.
Additionally, a higher daily consumption of vitamin B-6 and zinc was also associated with later menopause.
Vitamins B6 and B12
How it can help during menopause: Vitamin B6 may help ward off menopausal depression and increase energy by boosting serotonin. B vitamins may also help with insomnia and possibly even reduce hot flashes. They are also important for cognitive functions.
Symptoms of low estrogen can include: Hot flashes, flushes, and night sweats are the most common symptoms of low estrogen. At times, blood rushes to your skin's surface. This can give you a feeling of warmth (hot flash).
Menopause is the time in life when you stop having monthly periods. This marks the natural end of the reproductive stage of your life, when your ovaries no longer have eggs to release. Most Australian women experience menopause between 45 and 60 years of age. The average age of menopause is 51 years.
The average age of entering perimenopause in Australia is 48 years and perimenopause is a period of slowly declining oestrogen production from the ovaries.
Your menstrual cycles may lengthen or shorten, and you may begin having menstrual cycles in which your ovaries don't release an egg (ovulate). You may also experience menopause-like symptoms, such as hot flashes, sleep problems and vaginal dryness.
This Perimenopause Blood Test looks at key hormonal levels and health areas that are affected by the menopause. This includes areas such as bone heath and cardiovascular risk. It will also look at thyroid hormone levels as thyroid dysfunction can cause menopause-like symptoms.
During perimenopause, you may start having menopause-like symptoms, such as hot flashes, mood swings or vaginal dryness. Most perimenopause symptoms are manageable. But if you need help managing symptoms, medications and other treatments are available.
Premature or early menopause is associated with numerous adverse health outcomes including cognitive impairment, dementia, parkinsonism, glaucoma, CHD, osteoporosis, mood disorders, sexual dysfunction, and increased overall mortality.
Results: After adjustment for age, smoking, and other factors, women with the highest intake of dietary vitamin D (quintile median: 528 IU/d) had a significant 17% lower risk of early menopause than women with the lowest intake [quintile median: 148 IU/d; HR: 0.83 (95% CI: 0.72, 0.95); P-trend = 0.03].