How Can You Avoid Early Menopause?

If you are like me and most other women, then you absolutely love the idea of never having your period again! However, menopause means much more than simply not getting a period anymore. Unfortunately, some women experience an early onset of menopause. When this occurs, generally it's due to one of the three reasons listed below.

Regardless of which reason it is, the symptoms associated with early menopause are similar to those experienced during normal menopause.

Premature Ovarian Failure

One of the most prevalent causes of early menopause is premature ovarian failure. This generally results from an autoimmune disorder, which involves the immune system attacking itself. In this case, you body is under the impression that your immune system is a disease and orders antibodies to fight against it.

In some instances, these antibodies may be directed to fight the reproductive system. Early menopause can result in this case because the ovaries are at risk for getting damaged severely. If this occurs, the ovaries will not work properly and therefore lead to menopause.

Surgery

Also, reproductive system surgery can lead to early menopause. For instance, the removal of your ovaries will obviously cause early menopause. You will also experience it if you get a complete hysterectomy, or even a partial one.

One of the major downfalls with early menopause resulting from surgery is that it can be much more severe than normal menopause. This is due to the fact that everything happens all at once, instead of there being a steady reduction of hormones.

Even if your ovaries remain intact during a hysterectomy, women are still subjected to the possibility of premature menopause. This can happen when ovaries are often damaged during an operation on the reproductive system.

Once they are damaged, they will no longer function the way they are supposed to following the surgery. Tubal ligation is another surgery than can also lead to it.

Chemically Induced Early Menopause

Chemically induced menopause is another cause. Ovaries can be damaged severely during chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Menstruation may only stop for some women when the chemical treatments are being done. However, even if a woman's menstrual cycle comes back, the ovaries often times are damaged too much resulting in infertility.

When estrogen production is blocked due to cancer treatments, particularly for breast cancer, premature menopause can occur. Unfortunately, these treatments are necessary most of the time in order for people to overcome cancer.