Menopause Age: What To Expect, Early Symptoms, And More

What Age Does Menopause Start:

what age does menopause start

A simple test can tell you for sure based on hormone levels in your blood. In the postmenopausal stage, your risk for heart disease can increase. Talk with your doctor about making lifestyle changes to protect yourself against heart disease and other age-related diseases. But you may be able to lower the risks of premature menopause with hormone therapy (HT).

Menopause, when it occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, is considered ‘natural’ and is a normal part of aging. Menopause that occurs before the age of 45 is called early menopause. Menopause that occurs at 40 or younger is considered premature menopause. When there’s no medical or surgical cause for premature menopause, it’s called primary ovarian insufficiency. People lose an average of 25% of their bone mass from the time of menopause to age 60. Your healthcare provider may want to test the strength of your bones over time.

Menopause typically begins between ages and can be affected by genetics, health, and lifestyle. Symptoms may include missed periods, hot flashes, and weight gain. The way you experience each stage of menopause will be unique. For example, maybe you don’t get hot flashes, but insomnia leaves you feeling tired and irritable.

These changes happen because your body’s estrogen and progesterone levels are starting to naturally decline. As your ovaries produce lower amounts of these hormones, your body adapts. It’s basically the reverse of what happened to your hormones as a teenager. When a woman is postmenopausal, treatment of hot flashes or night sweats becomes about hormone replacement therapy ‘ essentially a very low dose of estrogen and progesterone. There are risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy, and you should discuss with your doctor whether or not these medications are right for you.

Make sure the doctor knows your medical history and your family medical history. This includes whether you are at risk for heart disease, osteoporosis, or breast cancer. A healthy diet and regular exercise program will help manage your symptoms and boost your health. This is a great time to finally kick any old, unhealthy habits like smoking or drinking too much alcohol. To help with hot flashes or night sweats [VMS], dress lightly and in layers.

what age does menopause start

Despite limited scientific evidence, soy-based foods can be part of a healthy diet for menopausal women. Results of an ongoing study showed mixed results for postmenopausal women taking calcium and vitamin D supplements. A study published in January 2020 in JAMA Network Open found that pregnancy and breastfeeding may reduce the risk of early they said menopause. The level of education a woman has completed is one thing that seems to correlate with menopause timing, says Faubion. ‘Women who have more education tend to go through menopause later,’ she says. ‘This can be a time of added stress for women, and we know that any stressful situation can cause someone to drink more,’ she says.

Having at least one full-term pregnancy lowers your risk of early menopause. Breastfeeding (chestfeeding) also reduces your risk of early menopause. If you’ve never had a pregnancy, you may experience menopause earlier. Typically, it’s healthiest to go through menopause around the average pop over to these guys age that people experience it ‘ sometime between 45 and 58. Women hit the peak of their careers at the same time hot flashes, brain fog, and other menopause symptoms strike. Cardiovascular risks don’t appear elevated for many women with short-term menopause symptoms, new studies suggest.

As you go through perimenopause, your body’s production of estrogen and progesterone, key female hormones, rises and falls. Many of the changes you experience during perimenopause are a result of decreasing estrogen. You may notice signs of progression toward menopause, such as menstrual irregularity, sometime in your 40s. If you’ve reached your late 50s or early 60s and are still having a period, you may feel concerned. Together, you can discuss the possible reasons for the delay and your provider can order tests if needed.

While your ovaries are still making low levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone, you are no longer ovulating (releasing eggs), so you can’t become pregnant. Yes, several factors related to menopause can lead to depression. There are extreme shifts in your hormone levels, you may not sleep well because of hot flashes and you may experience mood swings.

It’s common for these symptoms during the entire time of perimenopause and into postmenopause to last about seven years. Life after menopause isn’t much different than life during your reproductive years. Remember to eat right, exercise, and receive routine healthcare, including dental and eye exams. Studies show that women who take MHT are at an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and blood clots. The risks are similar for women using contraceptive pills, patches, and rings.

Acupuncture, meditation, and relaxation techniques are harmless ways to ease the stress of menopause, and some people believe they help. While laboratory tests are not usually necessary to diagnose more hints menopause, your doctor may test the number of hormones in your blood. This is especially true if your periods stopped at an early age (before 40) or there is a medical reason to do so.

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