Reasons for Early Menopause

Early menopause is defined as menopause that occurs at age 40 or younger. Menopause refers to the cessation of menses, or women's monthly periods. Typically, a woman enters perimenopause first, during which time her periods become irregular. After a woman has gone 12 consecutive months without a period, she is considered to be post-menopausal. There are a number of symptoms associated with menopause itself, and certain health risks that increase after menopause. According to the Cleveland Clinic, 51 is the average age that a woman enters menopause in the United States.

Potential Causes of Early Menopause

• There are a number of different causes of early menopause. For some women, early menopause is brought on by medical treatments for other conditions, such as cancer or pelvic problems. For other women, menopause begins to occur early because of conditions within her own body. Unfortunately, early menopause is usually not reversible, regardless of its cause.

Medical Treatment

• Undergoing certain medical treatments can cause the body to enter early menopause. Chemotherapy and radiation can often interfere with egg production. If these cancer treatments cause the ovary to stop producing hormones and/or eggs, the body may enter early menopause. Other types of treatments, including an ovary removal, a hysterectomy,or other pelvic surgery, can interfere with the normal function of the uterus. If the ovaries are removed, hormones will not be produced any longer. However, these other types of pelvic surgery can interrupt blood flow to the ovaries, resulting in the same effect. When the ovaries are no longer producing high enough levels of estrogen, early menopause can begin.

Premature Ovarian Failure

• Premature ovarian failure is one potential cause of early menopause. Premature ovarian failure is unique, because it does not necessarily preclude pregnancy, like other menopause normally does--in fact, between 8 and 10 percent of women with premature ovarian failure are able to get pregnant. Premature ovarian failure occurs, and menses cease, because the woman stops producing an egg every month. This can be caused by reduced follicle-stimulating hormone, or some other ovarian malfunction. The exact reasons why this happens to certain women are not clear, but the cause could be genetic, an autoimmune disorder, treatment for an unrelated medical condition (cancer, etc.), thyroid problems, a hysterectomy, Turner syndrome or another viral reaction, inadequate hormone production or an eating disorder.

Diminished Ovarian Reserve

• This condition is a precursor to early menopause caused by premature ovarian failure. Although menses doesn't cease, other menopausal symptoms begin to occur. Again, this condition may be caused by a number of different factors, and is usually not treatable. You can still get pregnant with diminished ovarian reserve, but it becomes more difficult once diminished ovarian reserve progresses to premature ovarian failure and full-blown early menopause.

Infection

• Certain infections, such as tuberculosis or the mumps, can interfere with hormone production in the body. If this occurs, and estrogen levels drop below a certain level, early menopause begins. This is a relatively rare cause of early menopause.