menopause

A Rare Occurrence: Premature Menopause Symptom

Premature menopause symptoms imitate normal pre-menopause symptoms in women. Premature menopause symptoms can be sparked by events that impact a woman's body in a huge way so that it triggers an abnormal hormonal reaction in the woman that starts the menopause process. Premature menopause symptoms can be started by a woman having a hysterectomy, since the woman no longer is producing eggs and the hormones are also not being produced by the body like they were in the past.

In order to combat this, women have to usually revert to hormone treatments to replace the hormones that are missing, especially if the woman is a younger woman when menopause is not supposed to be taking place. Another cause of premature menopause symptoms is cancer treatment, where the woman has undergone a series of chemotherapy or radiation treatments. The symptoms usually occur within six months of the treatment and also require hormone replacement in most cases.

The Normal Process

The signs and symptoms of menopause are similar for most women going through the process, whether they are experiencing premature menopause symptoms or whether they are experiencing the symptoms at the appropriate ages. Women usually start experiencing symptoms when they are in their late thirties and early forties. If the symptoms are experienced earlier than this, the woman's doctor should be notified so that the appropriate treatment measures can be taken, whether lifestyle modification or hormonal replacement treatment.

One of the first symptoms is that the woman begins to have irregular periods which are usually much lighter or much heavier than her regular periods. This can alert her to go to her doctor and get a blood test to check for FSH levels and estrogen levels to determine whether the woman has indeed reached pre-menopause. Other symptoms of menopause include mood swings, hot flashes and sleeping disorders. It can also cause an increase in abdominal body fat, thinning hair and a loss of breast fullness. Pre-menopause symptoms can also cause a loss of bladder control and vaginal dryness, in addition to dry skin around the eyes and mouth.

The main treatments for menopause symptoms, including premature menopause symptoms are lifestyle changes as well as hormonal treatments to replace the declining hormonal levels of estrogen and progesterone. There are also treatments that are sometimes used to help with sleeping disorders and the depression symptoms such as sleeping pills. These treatments usually help to adequately quell the harshest of menopause symptoms.