“With premature menopause,
your periods stop before age 40.
You can no longer get pregnant”.¹

Umbrella
What may the Premature Menopause Umbrella include?

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

Premature Menopause and Early Menopause

Is premature menopause the same as early 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

Premature Menopause

What is premature menopause?

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

“Premature menopause is when your final period happens before the age of 40 years”.³

Premature Ovarian Insufficiency

What is premature ovarian insufficiency (POI)?

DotS the definition of POI may vary. In Menopause Before 40 and Spontaneous Premature Ovarian Insufficiency the Australasian Menopause Society (AMS) elaborate on:

“Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a loss of function of the ovaries in women who are less than 40 years of age. The ovaries do not release eggs regularly and do not produce usual amounts of oestrogen.

Women with spontaneous POI have irregular or no menstrual periods. Women may or may not have menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes.

Up to 4% of women will spontaneously have POI and enter menopause before the age of 40. Spontaneous early menopause (menopause between 40 and 45 years) affects approximately 12 in every 100 women.⁴

In Spontaneous Premature Ovarian Insufficiency: Definitions and Epidemiology the AMS also note:

“POI may also be referred to as primary ovarian insufficiency, premature menopause or premature/ primary ovarian failure)”.⁵

Premature Menopause and POI Differences

What are some premature menopause and POI differences?

In Primary Ovarian Insufficiency: Symptoms & Causes – Overview the (United States) Mayo Clinic note:

“Primary ovarian insufficiency is sometimes confused with premature menopause, but these conditions aren’t the same. Women with primary ovarian insufficiency can have irregular or occasional periods for years and might even get pregnant. But women with premature menopause stop having periods and can’t become pregnant”.⁶

In Primary Ovarian Insufficiency: Summary – What Is Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI)? the (United States) MedlinePlus explain:

“POI is different from premature menopause. With premature menopause, your periods stop before age 40. You can no longer get pregnant. The cause can be natural or it can be a disease, surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation. With POI, some women still have occasional periods. They may even get pregnant. In most cases of POI, the cause is unknown”.⁷

Premature Menopause Cause

What causes premature menopause?

In Premature and Early Menopause: What Causes Premature and Early Menopause? Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) the JH elaborate on POI and other causes:

“Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) can cause premature and early menopause”.⁸

Premature Menopause Symptoms

Are the symptoms of premature menopause the same as for menopause?

Yes and no. In Premature and Early Menopause: Symptoms of Premature & 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”.⁹

Hormone Therapy

What is one of the highlights about premature 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:

Health Care Provider

What if I think I have premature menopause or POI or POF?

If you think you have premature menopause or POI or POF, it may be in your best interest to choose to talk to your health care provider about this.

In Premature and Early Menopause the European Menopause and Andropause Society note:

Health Topics A-Z

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

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Links

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