Menopause represents the moment in a woman’s life when her body experiences a series of changes that result in the cessation of menstrual periods. The main difference that menopause causes are that the female body stops producing eggs and produces much less of the hormones estrogen and progesterone, which is the leading cause of menopausal symptoms. When a woman has not had periods for a year, menopause is considered over and is called postmenopause.
The age at which menopause begins can influence many factors, such as the intensity of symptoms and the appearance of some diseases. Also, some habits of the woman and her family history can be decisive in predicting when this stage may begin. If you want to know at what age menopause begins, we invite you to continue reading this FastlyHealarticle.
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Age at which menopause begins
Menopause usually begins between 45 and 55 years of age of women. However, it isn’t straightforward to determine the exact age at which a woman will start to experience this stage. However, some symptoms and signs can be beneficial to make the woman suspect that the end of her fertile phase is approaching, that is, that she is in premenopause.
They usually occur premenopausal years before menopause and give us clues about what age menopause starts. Its main symptoms are:
- Hot flushes
- Increased body sweating
- Irritability
- Insomnia
- Humor changes
- Delayed menstruation
- Poorer menstrual flow
- Arterial hypertension
- Vaginal dryness
- Weight gain.
Another way to know if menopause is approaching is by measuring the blood levels of the hormone FSH, which can help estimate its proximity. However, the main sign that menopause is approaching is alterations in the periods, which can stop being regular and heavy even for three years before the woman is considered menopausal. Depending on the age at which menopause begins, it can be classified into:
- Natural menopause: is one that appears between 45 and 55 years of age.
- Precocious menopause: it presents with much stronger symptoms and begins before 45.
- Late menopause can be a product of obesity and appears after 55 years of age.
Factors influencing the age at which menopause begins
There are some habits in the life of women that can intervene in the age when menopause begins, such as:
- Family history: Your menopause likely starts at the same age that your mother and older sister reached climacteric.
- Having been a mother: never being pregnant increases the risk of suffering from early menopause.
- Surgeries: Any surgical intervention that intervenes in the function of the ovaries, such as the removal of the uterus or the ligation of the fallopian tubes, can accelerate the onset of menopause.
- Contraceptive use: women who use oral contraceptives are at increased risk of early menopause.
- Poor diet: Women with poor eating habits also experience menopause earlier.
- Smoking: this addiction also accelerates the onset of menopause.
- Stress: women who have led very anxious and stressful lives reach climacteric earlier.
- Physical activity: women engaged in athletics or other sports activities also experience menopause earlier.
Menopause symptoms
While the symptoms of premenopause can be of great help in determining at what age the menopause begins, the symptoms of climacteric are the most obvious sign that the female body is changing, that the fertile stage has ended, and that it is time to assist the doctor in prescribing the therapy that can best help us to cope with this stage and its annoying discomfort. The symptoms of menopause are:
- Cessation of menstrual periods or less frequent periods.
- Tachycardia or a fast heartbeat.
- Hot flashes for three years.
- Increased sweating, especially at night.
- Insomnia or trouble sleeping.
- Redness of the skin, flushing on the cheeks.
- Decreased sexual desire
- Horrible headaches.
- Vaginal dryness
- Mood swings: irritability, depression, anxiety.
- Urine leaks and frequent vaginal infections.
- Joint pain
- Arrhythmias or palpitations.
- Loss of bone density.
Tips for coping with menopause in a healthy way
Menopause is a natural stage in a woman’s life. Therefore it cannot be prevented. Although this process is expected, the cessation of the fertile scene of the woman and the decrease in the production of hormones progesterone and estrogens can lead to the appearance of the heart ( hypertension ) and bone ( osteoporosis ) conditions. Therefore, women must make specific changes in their lifestyle to avoid these complications and alleviate climacteric symptoms. For this reason, we recommend that you put the following tips into practice :
- Quitting smoking will offer positive and significant changes to the cardiovascular system.
- During and after menopause, it is essential to eat a healthy diet rich in vegetables, legumes, fruits, proteins and low in fat and simple carbohydrates.
- It is essential to offer the body the ideal dose of calcium and vitamin D through diet. In this article, we explain what are foods with calcium.
- At this stage, it is more important than ever to maintain your ideal weight.
- Daily physical activity will help prevent weight gain and boost heart health.
- If the doctor were to prescribe hormone therapy or any other medicine, it is essential to follow the instructions to the letter and not miss any medical appointment.
- The use of fans can be of great help to reduce sweating and calm hot flashes.
- Drinking cold water throughout the day will help make it easier to cope with body temperature.
- If menopause is becoming a stage that we cannot control, it is necessary to visit the gynecologist to help us decide what we can do.
This article is merely informative. At FastlyHeal .com, we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any condition or discomfort.
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I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.