Early Menopause

“Symptoms of premature and early menopause are like those you would experience if you reached menopause at the expected age of 51–52 years, but symptoms can…”.1

Umbrella
What may the Early Menopause Umbrella include?

Depending on the Source (DotS) this Umbrella may include:

  • Early Menopause
  • Premature Menopause

Early Menopause and Premature Menopause

Is early menopause the same as premature menopause?Early MenopauseEarly Menopause

In Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Early and Premature Menopause the (Scottish) NHS Inform explain:

“Menopause before the age of 45 is called early menopause. Menopause before the age of 40 is called premature menopause”.2

Early Menopause

What is early menopause?

Depending on the Source (DotS) the definition of early menopause may vary. The (Australian) Jean Hailes for Women’s Health (JH) definition is:


Early Menopause“Early menopause is when your final period happens between the ages of 40 and 45”.3

Symptoms

Are the symptoms of early menopause basically the same as for menopause?

Yes and no. In Premature and Early Menopause: Symptoms of Premature and Early Menopause the JH explain:

“Symptoms of premature and early menopause are like those you would experience if you reached menopause at the expected age of 51–52 years, but symptoms can often be more severe due to the sudden change in hormone levels”.4

Cause

What causes early menopause?

In Early or Premature Menopause: What Causes Early or Premature Menopause? the Office on Women’s Health, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Womenshealth.gov elaborate on:

“Early or premature menopause can happen on its own for no clear reason, or it can happen because of certain surgeries, medicines, or health conditions.

Reasons for early or premature menopause can include:

  • Family history…
  • Smoking…
  • Chemotherapy or pelvic radiation treatments for cancer…
  • Surgery to remove the ovaries…
  • Surgery to remove the uterus…
  • Certain health conditions…
    • Autoimmune diseases such as thyroid disease and rheumatoid arthritis…
    • HIV and AIDS…
    • Missing chromosomes…
    • Chronic fatigue syndrome…”.5

Common or Not

How common is early menopause?

In Premature and Early Menopause the JH note:

“Up to 8% of women have had their final period by the time they are 45. This percentage is likely to be higher if we include menopause caused by surgery and cancer treatment”.6

Heart Disease

Is there an association between heart disease and early menopause?

In Coronary Heart Disease: Women and Heart Disease – Why Does Coronary Heart Disease Affect Women Differently? the (United States) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute note:

  • “Hormonal changes may affect a woman’s risk for coronary heart disease. Before menopause, the hormone estrogen provides women with some protection against heart disease. This may be because estrogen keeps the arteries flexible, or because estrogen may have potentially beneficial effects on blood lipids. As women age, though, their risk for coronary heart disease increases, and menopausal hormone therapy further increases that risk. Women who go through early menopause, especially if they had a hysterectomy, are more likely to develop heart disease than women of the same age who have not yet gone through menopause”.7

Depression

Is there an association between depression and early menopause?

The (Australian) Beyondblue explain:

“Women who experience surgical or early menopause can be at even greater risk of depression. It is important to speak to your doctor about your wellbeing as well as your physical health. Treatment and support is available.

Activities such as eating well and keeping active – and doing the things you enjoy – are key to improving your wellbeing during menopause”.8

In Premature and Early Menopause: Managing Premature and Early Menopause – Emotional Wellbeing the JH elaborate on:

“It’s important to talk to someone if you feel very emotional, anxious or depressed after your diagnosis. Your doctor can help with symptom relief and refer you to a psychologist if needed”.9

Hormone Therapy

What is one of the highlights about early menopause included in the 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement of the North American Menopause Society?

On page one in The North American Menopause Society Releases Its 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement, published 07 July 2022, one of the highlights is:

  • “Women with primary ovarian insufficiency and premature or early menopause have higher risks of bone loss, heart disease, and cognitive or affective disorders associated with estrogen deficiency. It is recommended that hormone therapy can be used until at least the mean age of menopause unless there is a contraindication to its use”.10

Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer Risk

What is one of the recommendations included in the Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause?

On page two in the Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause, first published online 10 June 2022, one of the recommendations is:

  • “Women with POI and early menopause (40–45 years old) should be advised that HRT is unlikely to increase risk of breast cancer in younger menopausal women under the age of 50”.11

What is POI?

POI in this context is an abbreviation for Premature Ovarian Insufficiency.

Hormone Therapy Alternatives

What if I am not able to have hormonal treatment?

In Early Menopause: Treatments for Early Menopause the (United Kingdom) NHS elaborate on:

“If you have had certain types of cancer, such as certain types of breast cancer, you may not be able to have hormonal treatment.

The GP will talk to you about other treatment options and lifestyle changes you can make to help protect your health.

If you’re still getting symptoms, the GP can refer you to a specialist menopause centre”.12

Who is a GP?

DotS and/or DotC (Depending on the Country) a GP may be a qualified and registered general practitioner, a medical practitioner, a medical doctor or a doctor.

Health Care Provider

What if I think I have early menopause?

If you think you have early menopause, it may be in your best interest to choose to talk to your health care provider about this. Together you can discuss your options and if required, agree on who may be the most appropriate health care provider to help you.

In Premature and Early Menopause the European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS) note:

“Premature ovarian insufficiency or early menopause, if untreated, increases the risk of osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, dementia and Parkinsonism, and reduces life expectancy”.13

The EMAS also note:

“Referral to specialist menopause, fertility and assisted reproduction professionals should be discussed with the patient”.14

Health Topics A-Z

Where may I find Health Topics A-Z related to Early Menopause?

In Health Topics A-Z you may find:

Health Topics A-Z

Links

Where may I find Links related to Early Menopause?

Your Country may have Links similar to:

Links

This Links List to third party websites is neither comprehensive nor exhaustive. Inclusion on this Links List does not imply endorsement or recommendation. Non-inclusion on this Links List does not imply non-endorsement or non-recommendation. Third party websites are not under the control of Meno Martha International Menopause Directory. Third party websites may contain explicit medical images and/or sexual references. Please read Meno Martha International Menopause Directory’s Links Policy before proceeding to a Link. Please contact Webmaster if you experience a problem with a Link.

New or Updated

  1. Askearlymenopause.org [Ask EM] [+ Video: What Is Early Menopause?]
  2. Association of Age At Menopause and Hormone Therapy Use With Tau and β-Amyloid Positron Emission Tomography
  3. Association of Plant-Based Diet and Early Onset of Natural Menopause
  4. BMS TV: Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)
  5. BMS TV: Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  6. BMS TV: Menopause – Weight Gain, Nutrition and Lifestyle
  7. Healthy AgingBMS TV: Osteoporosis
  8. BMS TV: Testosterone Explained
  9. Bioidentical Hormones: Are They Safer?
  10. Build Better Bones.org [International Osteoporosis Foundation]
  11. Cancer Treatment – Early Menopause
  12. Care, Choice, Complexities: The Circulations of Hormone Therapy In Early Menopause
  13. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) for Menopausal Symptoms
  14. Daisy Network [United Kingdom]
  15. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use
  16. Dr Louise Newson: The Truth About the Menopause & HRT
  17. Early Menopause
  18. Early Menopause
  19. Early Menopause Due To Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy
  20. Early Menopause Linked To Higher Risk of Future Coronary Heart Disease
  21. Early and Premature Menopause [Video]
  22. Early Menopause – Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy
  23. Early Menopause: Women’s Experiences – Overview
  24. Early Menopause: Women’s Experiences – Resources and Information: Quick Links – 1. Question Prompt List
  25. Early Menopause: Women’s Experiences – Women’s Profiles
  26. Early Natural Menopause Is Associated With Poor Lung Health and Increased Mortality Among Female Smokers
  27. Early or Premature Menopause
  28. Earlymenopause.org.nz [Early Menopause Support Group, New Zealand]
  29. Factors Affecting Women: Menopause
  30. Find A Menopause Practitioner [United States and Other]
  31. Find An AMS Doctor [Australasian Menopause Society i.e. Australia and New Zealand]
  32. Find Your Nearest BMS Menopause Specialist [British Menopause Society]
  33. Health After Menopause
  34. Hot Flashes
  35. Hot Flashes
  36. Hot Flashes: What Can I Do? [+ Video: What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Menopause?]
  37. Hot Flushes, Night Sweats, Brain Fog? Here’s What We Know About Phytoestrogens for Menopausal Symptoms
  38. How Menopause Impacts Your Health
  39. How To Find Relief for Hot Flashes At Night
  40. I Forgot To Ask the Doctor – E9: The Menopause: Can Every Woman That Wants It Have HRT?
  41. Is Menopause Making Me Put on Weight? No, But It’s Complicated
  42. Joint BMS FSRH RCGP RCOG SfE and RCN Women’s Health Forum Safety Alert
  43. Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause
  44. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Early and Premature Menopause [+ Video: Menopause Only Happens In Your 50s]
  45. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Supporting Someone Through the Menopause [+ Video: Men Don’t Need To Know About Menopause]
  46. Lynchsyndrome.org.au
  47. Mayo Clinic Minute: Help With Hot Flashes Due To Menopause [+ Video Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network]
  48. Mayo Clinic Minute: How Lifestyle Changes May Help Manage Menopause Symptoms [+ Video]
  49. Menopause
  50. Menopause
  51. Menopause Map: Downloadable Resources – My Personal Path Print Tools: Questions for Your Health Care Provider
    Early Menopause
  52. Menopause Map: Downloadable Resources – My Personal Path Print Tools: Symptom Tracker
    Early Menopause
  53. Menopause Mindfulness: Understanding the Many Paths To Menopause
  54. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 2. Talking To Your GP About Menopause
  55. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit Video Series: Common Conditions Associated With Menopause and Midlife
  56. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit: A Woman’s Empowerment Guide
  57. Menopause Ruining Your Sex Life?
  58. Menopause Symptoms: Mayo Clinic Expert Outlines Hormone and Nonhormonal Therapies
  59. Menopause Treatments: What Works, What Doesn’t
  60. Menopause Wellness Hub
  61. Menopause and Mental Health
  62. Menopause: Understanding the Changes and Finding Relief | Dr Susan Davis | The Proof Podcast EP #256
  63. Mood and the Menopause
  64. Navigating Menopause Together: How Partners Can Help
  65. Navigating Menopause: Expert Insights and Solutions | Dr Susan Davis | The Proof Podcast EP 245
  66. Non-Estrogen Treatments for Menopausal Symptoms
  67. Nonhormone Treatments for Hot Flashes and Night Sweats
  68. Pathtogoodbonehealth.org [Your Path To Good Bone Health, Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation, United States]
  69. Premature Ovarian Failure
  70. Premature and Early Menopause
  71. Premature and Early Menopause
  72. Premature and Early Menopause [+ Video]
  73. Premature and Early Menopause: Symptoms of Premature and Early Menopause
  74. Premature and Early Menopause: What Causes Premature and Early Menopause
  75. Spontaneous Premature Ovarian Insufficiency
  76. Study Author on Early Menopause and Hormone Replacement Therapy
  77. Support After Early Menopause
  78. Supporting A Loved One Through Menopause
  79. Taking Care of Your Mental Health
  80. The North American Menopause Society Releases Its 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement
  81. Therapy for the Effects of Menopause
  82. Tips To Help Manage Menopause Symptoms
  83. Top Tips To Improve Your Mental Wellbeing
  84. Tricky Periods: What’s ‘Normal’ and What’s Not
  85. Understanding Premature & Early Menopause – Booklet
  86. Using Natural Therapies In the Menopause Transition – Webinar
  87. Vaginal Dryness
  88. Video Series-2022: Hormone Therapy: Understanding the Risks and Benefits
  89. Video Series-2023: Menopause and Heart Disease
  90. Video Series-2023: NAMS 2023 Nonhormone Therapies Position Statement for Bothersome Menopause Symptoms
  91. Video Series-2023: New FDA-Approved Nonhormone Option for the Treatment of Hot Flashes
  92. Video Series-2023: Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Menopause Experience
  93. Videos and Podcasts: Videos – Interviews: A Simple Approach To Menopause: The Menopause Quick Six (www.MQ6.ca)
  94. Webinars: Previous – Genetic Causes of POI
  95. Webinars: Previous – Predictors of Premature and Early Natural Menopause
  96. Webinars: Previous – The Early Menopausal Patient
  97. What Everyone Should Know About Menopause Symptoms
  98. What Is Lynch Syndrome?
  99. When Menopause Comes Early: Symptoms & Treatment
  100. Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me This? Episode 3: Dr Annice Mukherjee: Your Essential Menopause Toolkit

Sources

Where may I find the Sources quoted above?

You may find the Sources at:

Sources

  1. Premature and Early Menopause: Symptoms of Premature and Early Menopause. Last Updated: 04 September 2023 | Last Reviewed: 19 August 2022. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause/premature-early-menopause/ Accessed: 24 September 2023
  2. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Early and Premature Menopause. Last Updated: 22 March 2023. NHS Inform https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/womens-health/later-years-around-50-years-and-over/menopause-and-post-menopause-health/early-and-premature-menopause/ Accessed: 24 September 2023
  3. Premature and Early Menopause. Last Updated: 04 September 2023 | Last Reviewed: 19 August 2022. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause/premature-early-menopause/ Accessed: 24 September 2023
  4. Premature and Early Menopause: Symptoms of Premature and Early Menopause. Last Updated: 04 September 2023 | Last Reviewed: 19 August 2022. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause/premature-early-menopause/ Accessed: 24 September 2023
  5. Early or Premature Menopause: What Causes Early or Premature Menopause? Page Last Updated: 29 December 2022.  Office on Women’s Health, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Womenshealth.gov https://www.womenshealth.gov/menopause/early-or-premature-menopause Accessed: 24 September 2023
  6. Premature and Early Menopause. Last Updated: 04 September 2023 | Last Reviewed: 19 August 2022. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause/premature-early-menopause/ Accessed: 24 September 2023
  7. Coronary Heart Disease: Women and Heart Disease – Why Does Coronary Heart Disease Affect Women Differently? Last Updated 08 June 2023. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/coronary-heart-disease/women#Why-does-coronary-heart-disease-affect-women-differently? Accessed: 24 September 2023
  8. Factors Affecting Women: Menopause. Beyondblue https://www.beyondblue.org.au/who-does-it-affect/women/factors-affecting-women Accessed: 24 September 2023
  9. Premature and Early Menopause: Managing Premature and Early Menopause – Emotional Wellbeing. Last Updated: 04 September 2023 | Last Reviewed: 19 August 2022. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause/premature-early-menopause/ Accessed: 24 September 2023
  10. The North American Menopause Society Releases Its 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement. 07 July 2022:1. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/docs/default-source/press-release/ht-position-statement-release.pdf Accessed: 24 September 2023
  11. Hamoda, H., Mukherjee, A., Morris, E., Baldeweg, S. E., Jayasena, C. N., Briggs, P., Moger, S. Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause. First Published Online 10 June 2022:2. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20533691221104879 Accessed: 24 September 2023
  12. Early Menopause: Treatments for Early Menopause. Page Last Reviewed: 02 February 2021. NHS https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/early-menopause/#treatments-for-early-menopause Accessed: 24 September 2023
  13. Premature and Early Menopause. 2022. European Menopause and Andropause Society https://emas-online.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Premature-and-early-menopause.pdf Accessed: 24 September 2023
  14. Premature and Early Menopause. 2022. European Menopause and Andropause Society https://emas-online.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Premature-and-early-menopause.pdf Accessed: 24 September 2023
Topic Last Updated: 24 September 2023 – Topic Last Reviewed: 24 September 2023

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