Types of Menopause

Menopause is an occurrence that every woman experiences at some point in her life. Normally this happens in your 40s and 50s, and in some rare cases, can be earlier. Knowing what to expect helps you to have an easier transition into each stage of menopause.

Premature Menopause

• Premature menopause is any occurrence in which menopause takes place before the age of 40. Women who experience premature menopause experience general symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes, mood swings, vaginal dryness and decreased sex drive. Women who have premature menopause also tend to have a higher risk of having brittle bones than women who go through menopause after the age of 40. Reasons for women prematurely entering menopause are chromosomal defects (such as Turner's syndrome), a family history of women beginning menopause early, autoimmune diseases, surgical removal of the ovaries, chemotherapy and pelvic radiation treatments for cancer.

Perimenopause

• Perimenopause is the two-to-eight-year phase right before the onset of menopause, often called menopause transition. In this time, the hormone estrogen, which is responsible for the functioning of the ovaries, starts to decline. This estrogen decline causes the menstrual cycles to become more sporadic, heavier, lighter, longer or shorter. You will stay in perimenopause until your hormonal levels indicate that you have entered menopause.

Menopause

• Menopause occurs between the ages of 45 and 55. This stage is marked by the menstrual cycle being sparser than it was in perimenopause. Menopause begins when estrogen levels decline significantly. Symptoms of menopause vary, and not all women experience them. The most common are heart pounding or racing, hot flashes, skin flushing, night sweats, insomnia, mood swings, decreased interest in sex, urine leakage and forgetfulness. Blood tests to measure the hormones estradiol, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) are required for diagnosis.

Postmenopause

• You are considered postmenopausal once you haven't had a period for 12 months. During this time, the symptoms of menopause become more prominent. When you are in menopause and perimenopause you will be offered the option of taking birth control pills to regulate your cycle and minimize symptoms such as night sweats and hot flushes. However, in postmenopause, this doesn't help much, so you will be offered a common treatment called hormonal replacement therapy, or HRT. HRT replaces the levels of estrogen in the body, which minimizes several symptoms that occur because of hormonal irregularity. HRT is given as pills that are taken once a day over a period of 28 days.

Symptom Relief for All Stages

• If you have hot flashes, keeping track of the symptoms along with daily activities might help you to find out what could be triggering them. This will help in avoiding them,or pinpointing causes with your physician for appropriate treatment. Vaginal dryness could be a nuisance, but with the use of over-the-counter vaginal lubricants, replacing the moisture is easy and should stop vaginal bleeding caused by the dryness. If you have trouble sleeping, try 30 minutes of activity every week that will help tire you out and avoid such stimulants as nicotine, cola, and coffee before bedtime. For mood swings, getting in touch with a support group or therapist could help stress reduction tremendously.