I am not yet 45, but my periods are irregular and stopping. Is this early menopause?
Early menopause is when periods stop before 45, and before 40 doctors call it premature ovarian insufficiency. Only a gynecologist can confirm it, with blood tests for hormones. Do not wait for it to pass on its own: the treatment your doctor chooses protects your bones and heart. And the anxiety, the feeling of having aged too early and the loss of plans can be worked on alongside treatment.
Updated
What medicine says
Early menopause: periods stop before the age of 45. The signs are like usual menopause: periods become rare or disappear, hot flushes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, poor sleep, mood swings.
A gynecologist or endocrinologist makes the diagnosis from blood tests for hormones, sometimes repeated after a few weeks. The causes vary: surgery, cancer treatment, family history, autoimmune diseases, and often no cause is found. The doctor chooses the treatment, usually hormone replacement therapy, which protects the bones and heart.
What you can do now
- Write down the dates of your periods over the last six months and the signs you notice: it helps the doctor.
- See a gynecologist without delay. At 35 or 40, missing periods are not something to put up with.
- If you want children, tell the doctor right away: the plan depends on it.
- Look after sleep and movement: walks, exercise you can manage, calcium and vitamin D as your doctor advises.
- Do not stay alone with this: tell someone close what is happening to you.
Where the Ladder fits
Menopause that comes early often hits more than the body: I aged too early, I am no longer a woman, fear for the relationship, grief for a child you wanted. In the Ladder method such thoughts and other people’s words sit among the obstacles to your goal. The free 10 minute diagnostics shows them on one diagram, and then you decide where to start.
If your mood stays low for weeks, you lose interest in life or have thoughts of not wanting to live, in Kazakhstan call 112, in other countries your local emergency number.
Psychological work goes alongside treatment, not instead of it. A gynecologist or endocrinologist makes the diagnosis from hormone tests.
Frequently asked questions
At what age is menopause considered early?
When periods stop before 45. Before 40, doctors speak of premature ovarian insufficiency.
Can I get pregnant with early menopause?
Sometimes yes, especially at the start, so talk to your gynecologist about both contraception and plans for children. The options depend on your tests and are chosen by the doctor.
Do I need to take hormones?
Your doctor decides. With early menopause, hormone replacement therapy is usually advised until the age of natural menopause because it protects the bones and heart.
Can stress cause early menopause?
Strong stress can disrupt the cycle and periods may stop for a while. But that is not the same as menopause. Tests show the difference, so start with a gynecologist.
See what is holding you back.
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