Know Your Own Female Body

If you are a middle-aged woman who is around 30 or 35 and your period has stopped, then you may be concerned about menopause. Early, or premature, menopause occurs when a woman goes through menopause before the age of 40. This is concerning to a lot of women, and if you are experiencing the problem, then you may wonder why it is happening and also what you can do to reduce negative symptoms.

Why Do Women Go Through Early Menopause?

Women go through early menopause due to ovarian failure in most cases. With traditional menopause, a woman's ovaries are depleted of viable eggs, but failure is not an issue. Ovaries can fail for any number of reasons. This may be an issue that develops on its own, or it may be caused by an outside factor. Chemotherapy treatments and other types of cancer therapies can lead to premature menopause since these treatments can damage the ovaries permanently. 

Certain types of ailments, like ones that involve the pituitary gland and involve the dysfunction of hormones, can lead to premature menopause. This is also true of ailments involving the hypothalamus, which is a part of the brain that is responsible for the release of hormones in the body. 

Some other psychiatric, genetic, and systematic disorders can lead to premature menopause as well, so it is wise to speak with an OBGYN who is able to complete a thorough exam to locate the cause. 

How Can It Be Treated?

The bad news is that early menopause cannot be stopped. Like regular menopause, the condition results in the stopping of menstruation and infertility. While infertility is troubling to many women without children, egg implantation can be coupled with hormone therapy if you want to become pregnant. 

You also may want to inquire about hormone replacement to reduce troublesome symptoms like night sweats, hot flashes, vaginal dryness and moodiness. 

Some other treatments may be suggested like the use of antidepressants to reduce mood swings. Also, certain types of low dose hormonal birth control can help to keep symptoms manageable. If vaginal dryness is an issue, then lubrication can be prescribed or suggested. 

Since early menopause is linked to osteoporosis, you may need to go through bone density testing on a regular basis. Medications like bisphosphonates can be prescribed if bone loss issues and low density are concerning.

If you want to know more about early menopause, speak with your OBGYN or check out sites like http://www.billingsclinic.com today.