The Causes And Most Common Early Menopause Symptoms 

The processes that occur as part of early menopause are generally the same as those associated with normal menopause the only difference being the age at which the woman experiences them. Menopause, or the total cessation of menstruation for 12 months, typically happens after the age of 45. In fact, the age by which the average woman has completed menopause is 51. This means that most women go through stages of menopause a process called perimenopause in their late 40s or early 50s. Early menopause symptoms, however, occur when periods cease for 12 months before a woman turns 45. Menopause is considered “premature” when it takes place before the age of 40 and, in rare cases, even when a woman in still in her teenage years. Approximately 1% to 4% of American women experience early menopause symptoms.

There is usually some physiological event that causes early menopause and early menopause symptoms. These causes can be divided into two categories: medical intervention or biological conditions.

Examples of medical interventions are cancer treatments involving chemotherapy or pelvic radiation and removal of the uterus and/or ovaries.  The purpose of such interventions are typically to treat a disease state that threatens a woman’s health. In these instances, the benefits of intervention likely outweigh the potential loss of fertility. Furthermore, women who smoke cigarettes tend to have higher rates of early menopause and early menopause symptoms than non-smokers.

Examples of biological conditions that may lead to early menopause symptoms are, premature ovarian failure (POF), thyroid dysfunction, diabetes, lupus, adrenal insufficiency, viral infections such as tuberculosis or the mumps, and excessive stress. POF is when a woman has either a decrease in the number, or a dysfunction, of her eggs at a premature age. As a result, early menopause symptoms can occur because POF affects the hormone levels. Tuberculosis and the mumps are infecions that sometimes can alter how the ovaries function and therefore create fluctuations in hormone levels. There is also a genetic or family component to early menopause symptoms, as women with a family history of early menopause are more likely to have it themselves.

While early menopause symptoms have a defined timeline of 12 months of no periods, the symptoms menopause create can occur for much longer. During perimenopause, hormone levels are fluctuating as the body begins to divert energy away from the organs of the body responsible for producing offspring. In some women, these fluctuations can be somewhat extreme, which is why hormone replacement therapies are sometimes prescribed to make this transition as smooth as possible.

There are two general categories of early menopause symptoms: those that affect the mind and those that affect the body.

Early menopause symptoms and its effects on the body

While the purpose of menopause is to alter internal reproductive function and several symptoms are directly related to ending fertility, many of the effects of changing hormone levels are felt on various areas of the body. Some of these early menopause symptoms are:

• Periods becoming more irregular, both in frequency and duration
• Vaginal dryness
• Hot flashes and night sweats
• Insomnia or disrupted sleep
• Weight gain or bloating
• Dry skin, eyes or mouth
• Headaches
• Breast tenderness
• Gastrointestinal distress and nausea
• Joint and muscle soreness
• Hair loss or thinning
• Increase in facial hair

Early menopause symptoms and its effects on the mind

The hormones responsible for fertility can have other far-reaching effects, including disrupting normal cognitive function and altering moods or emotions. Some of these early menopause symptoms are:

• Irritability and/or mood swings
• Decreased libido
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Memory lapses
• Fatigue
• Difficulty concentrating
• Dizziness or lightheadedness

Sources:

Chang, SH, et al., Premenopausal factors influencing premature ovarian failure and early menpause. Maturitas. 58;2007:9-30.

Early or Premature Menopause Causes (http://www.34-menopause-symptoms.com/early-menopause-causes.htm)

Nippita, TA & Baber, RJ. Premature ovarian failure: a review. Climacteric. 2007;10:11-22.

Premature menopause or early menopause: Long-term health consequences (PDF)
WomensHealth.gov (http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/menopause-treatment.cfm)

*****If you feel that you may be experiencing feelings of depression related to early menopause symptoms, West Coast TMS Institute in Sherman Oaks, California is available for consultations for women’s life cycle-related depression. Contact us if you feel you may be experiencing depression secondary to early menopause symptoms or other conditions and would like to set up a consultation.

If you found this post on early menopause symptoms interesting then you may be interested in our post on social anxiety.

What Is Menopause?

To understand what is menopause, this post will address the causes and symptoms of menopause, followed by a brief discussion on what is menopause treatment.  Menopause is a time when the regular cycles of a woman’s menstrual period come to an end. Technically, menopause is defined as an absence of menstrual periods for 12 months, but the process of menopause is a gradual one and generally stretches out over several years.

The average woman will have her last period by the age of 51, although menopause can occur at any time between the ages of 40 and 59. The timing of this is different for every woman, but interestingly it often happens at about the same age as a woman’s mother.

So what is menopause and its causes?

What is Menopause and Its Causes?

Menopause is associated with a reduction in the level of the natural sex hormones, estrogen and progesterone, that are produced in the ovaries. Estrogen promotes the normal development of a woman’s breasts and uterus, controls the cycle of ovulation (when an ovary releases an egg into a fallopian tube) and affects many aspects of a woman’s physical and emotional health, including bone strength and mood stability. Just after ovulation, a rise in progesterone prepares the lining of the uterus to receive a fertilized egg and, if fertilization does not occur, a decline in progesterone triggers menstruation, the sloughing off of the uterine lining. Maintaining a fertile womb is a very active process that requires a great deal of energy for the body to provide. It has been hypothesized that menopause lessens the physiological stress on a woman’s body as she ages.

Peri-menopause is the term for the 3-5 years before final menopause. This is the time when hormone levels first start to decline, and is also when the first signs or symptoms of menopause start to present. One of the primary signs is lower fertility, which doesn’t stop in just one day. The major reproductive hormones, progesterone and estrogen, are produced in increasingly smaller amounts over a woman’s lifetime, diminishing dramatically by the time of menopause. Because fertility is dependent on these hormones, as they decline, so does the likelihood of becoming pregnant.

What is Menopause Associated with? What is a Menopause Associated Symptom?

Peri-menopausal symptoms associated with decreases and/or fluctuations in estrogen include:

• Increasingly irregular periods, until they eventually disappear
• Vasomotor instability, resulting in hot flushes, sweats and sleep disturbance
• Vaginal lining degeneration, often resulting in painful intercourse
• Urinary tract complications
• Increased bone decalcification, raising the risk of osteoporosis
• Increased risk of cardiovascular disease
• Increased risk of new-onset and recurrent clinical depression

What is Menopause Treatment? 

Management of the negative symptoms of menopause often involves hormone replacement therapy (HRT, see below), but also can involve antidepressants that can address both mood and vasomotor symptoms, such as venlafaxine and duloxetine.

What is Menopause Hormone Replacement Therapy?

As a way of limiting the effects of the fluctuating hormone levels associated with menopause, many women choose to undergo Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). HRT can effectively treat many of the signs and symptoms, but it does come with some risk. While it has been shown to reduce the risk of osteoporosis in addition to treating menopausal symptoms, HRT can raise the risk for some types of cancer, including breast, ovarian and uterine cancer. It has also been associated with coronary heart disease, stroke and slight increases in loss of brain function.

Clearly, anyone in peri-menopause considering HRT should discuss it with her health care provider to review personal and family history. If it is decided that HRT will be used, it should be the lowest dose that meets the need and for the shortest time possible. Taking hormones should be re-evaluated every six months or so.

What is Menopause for You?  

The menopausal symptoms of hot flushes and sweats commonly lead to sleep disruption, and are associated with an increased risk of clinical depression.  The actual fluctuations of estrogen levels also may be an independent risk factor for clinical depression. It is therefore important to discuss with your gynecologist and psychiatrist what are the treatment alternatives for your particular situation and to better understand what is menopause.  

If you found this post on what is menopause interesting, you or a friend may find our post on early menopause helpful.