Menopause (cont.)
At what age does a woman typically reach menopause?
The average age of menopause is 51 years old. But there
is no way to predict when an individual woman will enter menopause. The age at
which a woman starts having menstrual periods is also not related to the age of
menopause onset. Most women reach menopause between the ages of 45 and 55, but
menopause may occur as earlier as the 30s or 40s or may not occur until a woman
reaches her 60s. As a rough "rule of thumb," women tend to undergo menopause at an age similar to that
of their mothers.
Perimenopause, often accompanied by irregularities in the menstrual cycle
along with the typical symptoms of early menopause, can begin up to 10 years
prior to the last menstrual period.
What conditions can affect the timing of menopause?
Certain medical and surgical conditions can influence the timing of
menopause.
Surgical removal of the ovaries
The surgical removal of the ovaries (oophorectomy) in an
ovulating woman will result in an immediate menopause, sometimes termed a
surgical menopause. In this case, there is no perimenopause, and after surgery, a woman will generally
experience the signs and symptoms of menopause. In cases of surgical menopause,
women often report that the abrupt onset of menopausal symptoms results in
particularly severe symptoms, but this is not always the case.
The ovaries are often removed together with the removal
of the uterus (hysterectomy). If a hysterectomy is performed without removal of
both ovaries in a woman who has not yet reached menopause, the remaining ovary
or ovaries are still capable of normal hormone production. While a woman cannot menstruate
after the uterus is removed by a hysterectomy, the ovaries themselves can
continue to produce hormones up until the normal time when menopause would
naturally occur. At this time a woman could experience the other symptoms of
menopause like hot flashes and mood swings. These symptoms would then not be
associated with the cessation of menstruation. Another
possibility is that ovarian failure will occur earlier than the expected time of menopause, as early
as 1-2 years following the hysterectomy. If this happens, a woman may or may not
experience symptoms of menopause.
Cancer chemotherapy and radiation therapy
Depending upon the type and location of the cancer and its treatment, these
types of cancer therapy (chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy)
can result in menopause if given to an ovulating woman.
In this case, the symptoms of menopause may begin during the cancer treatment or
may develop in the months following the treatment.
Premature ovarian failure
Premature ovarian failure is defined as the occurrence
of menopause before the age of 40. This condition occurs in about 1% of all
women. The cause of premature ovarian failure is not fully understood, but it
may be related to autoimmune diseases or inherited (genetic) factors.
Next: What are the symptoms of menopause? »
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