The average age for menopause to begin is usually in the early 50s. However, it’s not uncommon for women in the 45-55 age range to be going through menopause. However, women are not officially menopausal until they have missed their periods for 12 straight months. There is something called perimenopause that confuses many women and it is the start of the body’s natural change from fertile to infertile. During this time frame women will notice they have a normal period for several months and then miss their period for several months. The flow may vary somewhat during this time frame, too, and women may wonder if they are pregnant or if there is something wrong with their bodies. Women can get pregnant during this time so it is important to use contraception if pregnancy is not desirable. However, this is nothing unusual or worthy of worrying over simply because it is the body’s natural process of changing.

Premenopause occurs even before perimenopause. This stage may begin during the early 30s or 40s. This stage simply means that women experience their reproductive cycle slowing down. During this stage some of the symptoms that might occur include hair loss, reduced sex drive, PMS, facial hair, weight gain around the waist, water retention, infertility, fibroids, and many other symptoms.

During perimenopause women are just a few years out from full fledged menopause and the symptoms will be stronger and more noticeable. During this time frame women may have mood swings, fibroid tumors, tender breasts, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, hormone imbalances, sleep problems, weight gain, and other symptoms.

The vast majority of women who experience natural menopause will see an end to their cycles between the 45 and 55 years of age. Women who experience early menopause may do so as a result of chronic stress, anorexia, malnourishment, obesity, bulimia, or even an autoimmune disease.

Women going through menopause at the average natural age will have a zero percent progesterone production level and an estrogen production level that is roughly half what it used to be. When the balance between these two hormones is off then the symptoms can be quite difficult to deal with. That’s when the common menopausal symptoms occur including hot flashes, headaches, mood swings, weight gain, memory problems, incontinence, high blood pressure, and more.

Posted in Menopause

Related Articles: