Premature menopause is when you enter menopause before the age of 40, while early menopause is when you enter menopause before the age of 45.
You might be experiencing premature or early menopause if you’ve gone 12 months without getting your period, and there’s no other reason for it to have stopped – for example, you’re not on hormonal birth control that stops your period.
Premature menopause currently affects about 4% of women in Australasia. Some people experience perimenopause symptoms like hot flushes, and others don’t.
Some auto-immune disorders, medical treatments like chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and surgical treatments like ovarian surgery can cause menopause to happen early. But in 90% of cases, the exact cause of premature menopause is unknown.
You’re more likely to experience early or premature menopause if you smoke or if you have a family history of early or premature menopause.
The symptoms of early or premature menopause are the same as the perimenopause symptoms experienced later in life, they just begin earlier. Your periods might become irregular or stop completely. You might also experience hot flushes, night sweats, mood changes, or other symptoms.
It’s harder to diagnose premature menopause than it would be to diagnose menopause if you were older. Your menopause clinician will have to rule out other reasons you might not be getting your period. This could involve blood tests to check your hormone levels.
If you think you might be in early or premature menopause, make an appointment with us to discuss.
If you’ve had an operation that involved removing your ovaries (a bilateral oophorectomy), your body will go into a type of menopause called surgical menopause. Some other gynaecological procedures also carry a risk of surgical menopause. This causes a rapid onset of symptoms, as without ovaries, your body is no longer able to create oestrogen.
If you’re experiencing surgical menopause, hormone-based therapies can help you manage your symptoms and regain your quality of life. These can usually be stopped when you reach the age of natural menopause, but they may have to be carried on longer depending on whether symptoms are ongoing and whether it is safe for you to continue taking them.
There are a few ways to treat premature menopause. Usually, hormone therapy is the best option. Treatment can’t reverse menopause, but it can help you manage your symptoms and prevent some of the long-term health problems associated with premature menopause like heart disease and osteoporosis. It’s important to get help as early as possible.
Your fertility reduces significantly during menopause. This means you’re much less likely to get pregnant naturally, and this can come as quite a shock for some people.
If you don’t want to become pregnant, we recommend using contraception for 24 months after your final menstrual period.
If you do want to become pregnant, talk to your doctor about a referral to a fertility specialist, who you can help you explore options.
Some people in premature menopause experience perimenopause symptoms like hot flushes, and others don’t. It can also cause changes in your mood, leading to anxiety and depression.
Premature menopause doesn’t always mean the ovaries stop working completely. In some cases, hormone production fluctuates, and you could start ovulating again. This means that if you don’t want to become pregnant, it’s important you keep using contraception until a medical professional tells you it’s safe to stop.
Other long-term effects of premature menopause can include an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis, and potentially an increased risk of cognitive problems.
Experiencing menopause earlier than you expected can be stressful, but the good news is that the treatment is the same as if you were experiencing menopause when you were older. You’ll usually be prescribed hormone therapy until you reach the age that you would’ve otherwise experienced menopause. Doing this may decrease your risk of the long-term effects mentioned above. When you attend a Menopause Wellbeing appointment, we put together a tailored treatment plan for you.