age of perimenopause onset
Menopause is defined as occurring 12 months after your last menstrual period and marks the end of menstrual cycles. Menopause can happen in your 40s or 50s, but the average age is 51 in the United States. Menopause is a natural biological process. Although it also ends fertility, you can stay healthy, vital and sexual. Some women feel relieved because they no longer need to worry about pregnancy. This phase presents similar symptoms to menopause that gradually increase, including fatigue, irritability, mood swings, and weight gain. The difference is that women in perimenopause continue to have periods, although they may be irregular. When you do not have a period for 12 months, you have entered menopause. Early menopause occurs in women between the ages of 40 and 45, and occurs naturally, in other words, is not medically or surgically initiated. In early menopause estrogen levels can rapidly decline causing symptoms to appear suddenly, feel severe, and last longer. Here are some telltale signs you are in early menopause. 1  You are between the ages of 40-45.  You experienced an absence of periods for a full 12 months. Menopause is the time in a woman's life when the function of the ovaries ceases and she can no longer become pregnant. The ovary (female gonad), is one of a pair of reproductive glands in women. They are located in the pelvis, one on each side of the uterus. The average age of menopause is 51 years old. But there is no way to predict when an individual woman will have menopause or begin having symptoms suggestive of menopause. The age at which a woman starts having menstrual periods is also not related to the age of menopause onset. Most women reach menopause between the ages of 45 and 55, but menopause may occur as earlier as ages 30s or 40s, or may not occur until a woman reaches her 60s. As a rough rule of thumb, women tend to undergo menopause at an age similar to that of their mothers. Here are some telltale signs you are in early menopause. 1  You are between the ages of 40-45. 2  You experienced an absence of periods for a full 12 months.  You may be suffering from common symptoms including hot flashes, headaches, weight gain, depression, insomnia, mood swings, fuzzy thinking or fatigue. But as we age, the fluctuations and ratios between these hormones can become more extreme. When the body cannot regulate these shifts in hormone levels, women can experience common symptoms of menopause, including night sweats, hot flashes, food cravings, and fatigue. Even so, the physical symptoms, such as hot flashes, and emotional symptoms of menopause may disrupt your sleep, lower your energy or — for some women — trigger anxiety or feelings of sadness and loss. Researchers have determined that age at menopause onset is most likely inherited. Finding out when your mother started menopause can provide clues as to when you’ll start your own. If your mother started menopause early, then you are six times more likely than average to do the same. Perimenopause is the time in a woman's life in which the ovaries start to produce less estrogen, but full menopause has not yet begun. This stage can last months or years. There are a variety of perimenopause symptoms that can occur during the 30s, 40s and 50s. For some women, however, perimenopause can start earlier or later. Each case is different with some women experiencing severe symptoms, while others have no symptoms at all.
Between the ages of 40 and 45.