At what age does menopause start? The average age for menopause is around 51. But some women experience menopause in their 40s – with a small percentage experiencing signs of menopause earlier. Some women may not reach menopause until their 60s.
However, a Mayo Clinic study found that many women experience hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, mood changes and other menopause symptoms beyond mid-life and into their 60s, 70s and even their 80s.
There is no set age when menopause should start, but according to the Australasian Menopause Society the average age is 51. If a woman is 55 or older and still hasn't begun menopause, it is considered late-onset menopause. Menopause that occurs before age 40 is called premature.
Bleeding can occur in women over 50 after they experience menopause as well. Studies show that this postmenopausal bleeding is usually caused by conditions like uterine fibroids or polyps. It can also be a sign of endometrial cancer, which affects 2 to 3% of women and is most common among postmenopausal women.
About 90 percent of women undergo menopause between 45 and 55 years of age. Of the remaining 10 percent, about half have menopause early, between 40 and 45 years of age, while the other half experience late menopause, after the age of 55.
Heavy periods can be common during the menopause, usually experienced with irregular periods. Fluctuating hormone levels have a knock-on effect on the pattern of menstruation.
Towards the end of your period, you should experience a decrease in the volume, or amount, of menstrual blood until it stops all together. You might also notice a change in color towards the end of your cycle and see brown period blood.
Reaching menopause means that you're no longer able to bear children (become pregnant). Every woman – except for those who've had their ovaries removed before puberty – will go through menopause.
There can be several causes of postmenopausal bleeding. The most common causes are: inflammation and thinning of the vaginal lining (atrophic vaginitis) or womb lining (endometrial atrophy) – caused by lower oestrogen levels. cervical or womb polyps – growths that are usually non-cancerous.
So the best practice guidelines currently state that the ideal time to start HRT is within 10 years of the initiation of menopause, or under the age of 60.
There are several common reasons for night sweats – from spicy foods to warm bedrooms – but excess sweating can be a sign of a medical condition such as an infection, menopause or cancer. “Just being hot at night should not worry anyone,” says Dr.
Age at menopause and your health
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.
Postmenopausal bleeding could be caused by uterine polyps or fibroids, thyroid abnormalities, bleeding disorders or thinning of the lining of the uterus, called atrophy.
On average, women gain 5-8% of their baseline body weight during this time,” she says. For the sake of simple math, this means if you weigh 100 pounds, on average you will gain five pounds in the two years after your final period.
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.
Periods will usually start to become less frequent over a few months or years before they stop altogether. They might be more irregular and become heavier or lighter. For some women, they can stop suddenly. Postmenopause is the time after a woman experiences her last period.
Those who are under a lot of stress may no longer have periods. This is because stress affects how well the hypothalamus functions. The hypothalamus is part of the brain that regulates hormones which triggers the menstrual cycle. Women who have undergone intense athletic training may have interrupted menstrual cycles.
Some women experience high levels of estrogen and low levels of progesterone. This can cause the uterine lining to thicken. When a thick uterine lining sheds during menstruation, women might experience heavier blood flows and larger blood clots. Uterine fibroids – Fibroids are noncancerous growths inside the uterus.
If you notice on heavy days of your period that blood seems extra-thick, and can sometimes form a jelly-like glob, these are menstrual clots, a mix of blood and tissue released from your uterus during your period. They can vary in size and color, and usually, they are nothing to worry about.