Life expectancy in women with menopause after age 55 years was 2 years longer than those with menopause before the age of 40 years. Another study indicated women with longer reproductive years are more likely to live to 90 years of age.
The Research
The study, which was conducted in the United States and published in July 2016, shows that women who start their period after the age of 12, go through menopause after the age of 50, and have more than 40 reproductive years, may have an increased chance of living past the age of 90.
Researchers found that total life expectancy at the age of 50 years was lower in women who had early menopause and higher in those with late menopause. The difference in life expectancy in women with typical and early menopause was 0.5 and 3.5 years, respectively, compared with women with late menopause.
“That doesn't sound like much but it adds up over a woman's lifespan.” Take, for example, a woman who enters early menopause at age 42. Eight years later, he said, her body would be a full year older biologically than another 50-year-old woman who entered menopause naturally at age 50.
How does menopause affect a woman's cancer risk? Menopause does not cause cancer. But your risk of developing cancer increases as you age. So women going through menopause have a greater chance of developing cancer because they're older.
Early menopause (EM)/premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) leads to the early loss of oestrogen, which may negatively affect bone, cardiovascular, and cognitive health over the long term.
Women with premature menopause are at risk of premature death, neurological diseases, psychosexual dysfunction, mood disorders, osteoporosis, ischemic heart disease and infertility.
While overall later menopause is probably healthier, it is associated with an elevated risk of developing breast, ovarian, and endometrial cancers. The average age for menopause is 51, and the women in this study were close to that number, with an average age at menopause of 50.5.
Perimenopause means "around menopause" and refers to the time during which your body makes the natural transition to menopause, marking the end of the reproductive years. Perimenopause is also called the menopausal transition.
After Your Period Stops
“There's a window of about eight years in which women can feel those flashes and sweats,” Dr. Audlin says. Women who have reached menopause can expect menopause symptoms to become worse than they were during perimenopause, the 2- to 10-year stage leading up to the permanent end of menstruation.
Menopause symptoms at age 50
After 12 months without a period, menopause is complete and post-menopause begins. As menopause gets closer, your estrogen and progesterone levels start to decline more rapidly. As a result, your symptoms will likely become more intense.
Menopause can happen in your 40s or 50s, but the average age is 51 in the United States. Menopause is a natural biological process. But the physical symptoms, such as hot flashes, and emotional symptoms of menopause may disrupt your sleep, lower your energy or affect emotional health.
Bleeding after menopause is not normal, so take it seriously. Go directly to your ob-gyn. Polyps also can cause vaginal bleeding. If your ob-gyn discovers these benign (noncancerous) growths in your uterus or on your cervix, you might need surgery to remove them.
In most cases, menopause happens between the ages of 40 and 55. The average age of a woman in menopause is 51. Once a woman has reached menopause, her FSH and LH levels stay high, and her progesterone and estrogen levels are low. Women in this life period are not ovulating anymore, and they cannot get pregnant.
Menopause is divided into three basic stages: perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause. During this time, the ovaries begin to atrophy which causes a decline in the production of the hormones that stimulate the menstrual cycle; estrogen and progesterone.
Women with a family history of early or premature menopause are more likely to have early or premature menopause. Smoking. Women who smoke may reach menopause as much as two years before nonsmokers. They may also get more severe menopause symptoms.
There can be an increased risk of some health conditions postmenopause, such as cardiovascular (heart) disease, osteoporosis (weak bones) and urinary tract infections (UTIs). So it is important to have a healthy diet and lifestyle, and to go for your regular cancer screenings such as cervical (smear test) and breast.
Both the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the North American Menopause Society recommend that women continue contraceptive use until menopause or age 50–55 years (333,334).
Changes in your hormones during menopause can impact your mental health as well as your physical health. You may experience feelings of anxiety, stress or even depression. Menopausal symptoms may include: anger and irritability.