Natural Menopause, Peri-Menopause (Pre-Menopause), Surgical Menopause and Premature Menopause

Politely called "the change of life" or just, “the change,” menopause is a natural stage of life. However, it affects different women in very different ways. The symptoms vary widely, in number, variety and strength. The average age of the onset of menopause is 51.4 years, although some women stop having periods in their early forties, while others go on until their late fifties. And, the symptoms can last for up to two years after final period, with some women experiencing hot flashes for up to ten years.

Menopause can be a challenging time. Besides the physical symptoms of menopause, there are emotional changes as well, including worries about growing older, sense of personal attractiveness and self-esteem. The 34 most common symptoms of menopause are:

Natural menopause is caused by ovarian failure due to aging. At birth, women may have as many as two million eggs within their ovaries. By puberty, this is reduced to about 300,000, and, at menopause, the eggs are virtually absent. The accompanying declines in estrogen and progesterone production cause the characteristic symptoms of menopause.

Since periods rarely stop without warning, the transitional stage during which most women begin to become irregular prior to stopping altogether is called peri-menopause or pre-menopause. Typically lasting for two to three years, peri-menopause may last up to ten years before complete cessation of the menstrual period. During this time, women may experience a combination of PMS and menopausal symptoms or no symptoms of menopause at all.

Women who have had both ovaries or uterus (hysterectomy) surgically removed will experience a dramatic reduction in the production of estrogen, in effect, an artificially induced state of menopause called surgical menopause.

Premature menopause exhibits the same clinical symptoms and complaints associated with natural menopause. A sign of ovarian failure before the age of 40, this version of menopause may be due to a range of factors including radiation exposure, smoking, cancer, drugs or other causes.

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PMS

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is real. PMS is caused by an imbalance of estrogen and progesterone, the two primary female hormones and effects millions of women. Estimates indicate that about 10 percent of menstruating women experience severe PMS, while as many as 75 percent may exhibit some PMS symptoms.

PMS is attributed to a range of conditions. In some cases, it may be caused by a lack of communication between the hypothalamus, the pituitary and the ovaries, the glands most involved in menstruation. Depression, stress and low levels of certain vitamins and minerals are also speculated to be among the contributors to symptoms of PMS.

Symptoms of PMS occur monthly, generally 7 to 14 days prior to menstruation, and may seem to increase as menstruation approaches and subside at the onset of menstruation or soon thereafter. Some of the common physical and emotional PMS symptoms are:

There is no single treatment for PMS because of the wide range of symptoms and variety of contributors to the cause of the condition. Common treatments that may help include vitamin supplements, diet changes, drug therapy, education and psychological counseling.

Ask your Doctor or Pharmacist for advice relating to your symptoms.