Premature Menopause

The grandmother hyposis gives the world an explanation for the cessation of a woman’s period. It is believed that menopause serves an evolutionary purpose, because children would often die when their mothers did. The theory states that when mothers can bear children and then have the time to take care of them, the survival of the species is no longer in jeopardy.

Ordinarily, women in America will begin to experience menopausal symptoms at the age of 51. For various reasons such as medical treatment, certain diseases and a woman’s familial history, a woman will begin to experience the symptoms of menopause before the age of 40. When this occurs, she is considered to be experiencing Premature Menopause.

Before menopause actually begins, women start to experience the symptoms of perimenopause when the ovaries are beginning to create less estrogen. Perimenopause is when the ovaries begin to cease releasing its eggs as well as the hormones responsible for building up the lining of the uterus which awaits the fertilized egg; these hormones also regulate the shedding of this lining when a fertilized egg has not materialized. Although estrogen is decreasing at this time, it does remain in postmenopausal women in the form of estrone sulphate, the most abundant type of estrogen after menopause has been completed. 

At the point of perimenopause, a woman’s fertility becomes an issue. She has severe difficulties in becoming pregnant. Although it is difficult to do so, a woman can become impregnated during this time. 

Symptoms of perimenopause include: 

• Breast tenderness, 
• Flushes, 
• Increased pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS), 
• A decreased desire for sex, 
• Insomnia. 

These symptoms may last for just a few months before menopause begins, but it is not unusual for women to be in the perimenopausal transition stage for ten years. 

The symptoms of premature menopause are: 

• Hot flashes, 
• Mood changes, 
• Irregular periods, 
• Missed Periods, 
• Vaginal dryness, 
• Vaginal Atrophy. 

Women who are likely to begin to experience perimenopause are those who have undergone radiation or chemotherapy treatment, those who have health issues such as an autoimmune disorder or a member of their family has one such as Grave’s Disease, Lupus, or hypothyroidism, those who have attempted to become pregnant for a year without success, those whose mothers and sisters also have experienced premature menopause.

To determine that someone is in premature menopause, physicians will perform a blood test in order to measure the follicle stimulating hormones (FSH) levels. Along with lutenizing hormone, FSH is responsible for the creation of estrogen and when it increases, this is a sign that the estrogen is decreasing.

Menopause can cause several health effects for women who are currently experiencing the condition. As a woman’s estrogen levels lower, her susceptibility to bone loss, a condition known as osteoporosis can result. Another concern is the increased risk of heart disease and high blood pressure in these women. 

Premature menopause can be treated, but it cannot be stopped. Physicians can only try to make women feel more comfortable. One such therapy is to take phytoestrogens. These are the chemicals very similar to human estrogen that can be found in plants and can be taken as a hormone replacement therapy. Another natural remedy is black cohosh. Black cohosh is an herbal substance that is suggested to women looking for a natural treatment for hot flashes, for example. Conjugated equine estrogens, another way of treating premature menopause, has recently been found not to increase a woman’s breast cancer risk which would show that a woman’s estrogen receptor would be elevated.