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Early Menopause or Premature Menopause
Menopause is inevitable. All women know it, but what happens when menopause strikes sooner than expected? Early or premature menopause can be shocking for young women, especially if they are caught off-guard, unaware of the signs and symptoms of early menopause.
Unfortunately, truth is that many young women have to deal with the onset of early menopause, its symptoms, and the physiological and emotional consequences.
This section will discuss early or premature menopause thoroughly, as well as the age women encounter it, its causes, signs and symptoms, tests, risks, and side effects. Finally, the ways women can deal with them will also be discussed.
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About Early Menopause
What is Early Menopause?
Early or premature menopause can come as a shocking experience for the one to four percent of American women with the condition. Premature menopause means ending reproductive life at an unusually early age, even in a woman´s teen years.
On the other hand, it is important to set apart early or premature menopause from premenopause, the first stage of the menopause process, in which women don´t present any symptoms and have an active reproductive life.
For more information on menopause at an unexpected young age, click on the following link to read about early menopause, or keep reading about causes of early menopause. |
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Causes of Early or Premature Menopause
It is hard to point out specific causes for premature or early menopause. However, there are some situations that can trigger the onset of menopause at an early age. In brief, there are natural and medical causes of early or premature menopause.
Natural Causes of Early Menopause
Premature Ovarian Failure (POF): Also known as premature menopause, POF is diagnosed when a woman stops egg production or the hormones she needs to ovulate. It can be the result of many factors, from genetic predisposition to autoimmune disorders.
Medical Causes of Early Menopause
Infection: Some diseases have been proven to affect the functionality of the ovaries (tuberculosis, the mumps, etc.).
Hysterectomy: The removal of the uterus, fallopian tubes, and sometimes ovaries causes early menopause. Hormone and egg production is dramatically interrupted, leading to the onset of early or premature menopause.
Tubal Ligation: Often women that have undergone a tubal ligation procedure enter menopause at an earlier age.
Other Causes of Early Menopause
Stress: Although stress cannot cause early menopause by itself, it does play an important role in the severity and frequency of symptoms.
Even though the causes mentioned above are the most common, there are other early menopause causes that should be taken into account when analyzing the possible onset of early menopause.
Click on the following to read more information about early menopause causes, or continue reading to learn about early menopause signs and symptoms.
Early Menopause Signs and Symptoms
Women before 40 usually take some time to identify their symptoms as menopausal, since they appear at such an unusual age. Early menopause symptoms are the same as menopause symptoms at a regular age, because they are both caused by hormonal fluctuations. However, these symptoms can also be related to other health conditions. The following list mentions the most common symptoms of early menopause:
Common Signs or Symptoms of Early Menopause
• Vaginal dryness
• Bladder irritability
• Hot flashes
• Irregular/missed periods
• Emotional changes
• Dry skin, eyes, or mouth
• Insomnia
• Decreased libido
It is important to adequately identify the symptoms, since they could also be signs of serious diseases or health conditions.
Click on the following link for a complete list of early menopause signs and symptoms or keep reading to learn about early menopause treatments.
Early Menopause Treatments
When women are diagnosed with premature or early menopause, they have to deal with both physical and emotional changes. Fortunately, they are not left alone in this battle because there are three approaches to consider when deciding to combat early menopause.
These early or premature menopause treatments are: lifestyles changes, alternative natural approaches, or pharmaceutical options and drugs. They range from mild to intense and should be administered carefully. They ought to be used only after having analyzed all of their benefits and possible side effects.
Out of the three approaches, lifestyle changes carry the least risk. However, they entail major commitment and discipline. Techniques, such as acupuncture, yoga, or meditation, are known to help women regain control of their bodies and minds. Despite such benefits, bear in mind that those techniques do not address the problem at its source.
The second approach, alternative medicine, recommends the use of certain herbs to alleviate symptoms. Natural and alternative remedies have been widely recognized to relieve early menopause symptoms. Although this approach is very effective, in some extreme cases, women might need a more drastic approach. If this happens, drugs or pharmaceutical options will be their option.
The third approach refers to the use of pharmaceutical options and drugs. Among the possibilities, hormone replacement therapy is the most popular one. Unfortunately, HRT has been linked to serious health conditions such as different types of cancer and heart risk.
After being told about the main characteristics of early menopause, causes, symptoms, and possibilities for treatment, it´s time to decide which way to go to find relief. Please find more information about different ways to get relief for early menopause in early menopause treatments.
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