Written by William Monroe - January 21, 2023
Menopause is the natural process of a woman's reproductive system shutting down, which typically occurs in women around the age of 50. However, in some cases menopause can occur earlier than this. At 45 years old, midlife has arrived and it is not too early for a woman to experience menopause.
Menopause marks the point in time when a woman’s reproductive cycle comes to an end and her body produces significantly less estrogen than before. The result is that a woman no longer experiences menstrual periods or can become pregnant through natural means.
It’s important to note that even prior to menopause many women will experience physical and emotional changes as their hormones become imbalanced due to age-related factors such as stress or lifestyle choices. These changes are often referred to as “perimenopausal symptoms” and they may start occurring as early as age 40.
The signs and symptoms of early menopause are similar to those experienced by most women going through regular menopausal transition; these include:
Other common signs of early menopause include changes in breast size, hair loss/thinning and irregular periods. It’s important to note that these symptoms vary from one woman to another so it is best to consult with your doctor if you are experiencing any unusual changes in your body or emotions.
In some cases, genetics can play a role in causing premature menopause. If your mother experienced menopausal symptoms at an unusually young age then there’s an increased chance you may do the same thing too. Other risk factors for early menopauase include smoking, chemotherapy treatments, and certain autoimmune diseases such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.
Experiencing early menopausal symptoms can be difficult but there are effective ways of managing them with hormone replacement therapy (HRT). HRT works by restoring hormone balance in the body so that you can regain control over your health, moods, and well-being. At Hormone Treatment Center our team specializes in performing comprehensive tests on women which allow us to find out exactly what type of HRT would work best for them individually depending on their medical history and lifestyle choices. Through HRT we strive to help our patients enjoy life again despite having gone through premature menopaueal transition!