Treatment For Absent Menstruation
Treatment for amenorrhea varies depending on the underlying cause. Hormonal imbalances can be treated with supplemental or synthetic hormones, which can help normalize hormone levels.
Your doctor may also want to remove ovarian cysts, scar tissue, or uterine lesions that are causing you to miss your menstrual periods.
Your doctor may also recommend making simple lifestyle changes if your weight or exercise routine is contributing to your condition. Ask your doctor to refer you to a nutritionist or dietitian, if necessary.
These specialists can teach you how to manage your weight and physical activity in a healthy way.
Schedule an appointment with your doctor so they can determine the cause of your amenorrhea. Make sure you stick with your treatment plan and attend all follow-up appointments.
Always contact your doctor if your condition doesnt improve with medical treatments or lifestyle modifications.
What Age Is Considered Early For Menopause
If you reach menopause before age 40, that is considered premature menopause, says Faubion. This occurs in about 1 to 2 percent of women, she says.
Experiencing menopause at 40 to 45 years of age is called early menopause, and that occurs in about 5 to 7 percent of the population, so its safe to say that at least 7 percent of women are going to go through menopause early or prematurely, says Faubion. Menopause at age 46 or older is considered normal, she says.
Menopause Symptoms At Age 40
For the vast majority of women, menopause symptoms dont start this early. If menopause happens before age 40, its called premature menopause. If it happens between age 40 and age 45, its known as early menopause. Fewer than 10 percent of women experience premature or early menopause.
But if youre in your early 40s and are regularly experiencing symptoms such as changes to your periods timing or flow, hot flashes, mood changes or sleep problems, dont ignore them. Talk with a womens health specialist.
A specialist like an OB-GYN or certified nurse-midwife can work with you to determine whether your symptoms are related to menopause, or another reason such as hormonal disorders or other health conditions.
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Is It Normal For Women To Have More Periods After 40
Because theres no normal when it comes to your menstrual cycle, some women might actually experience more periods post-40. In some cases, estrogen and progesterone surges during the menstrual cycle become shorter and higher, says Dr. Gupta. That means your periods could come closer together. Your flow might get heavier
How Will I Know If Im Going Through Menopause If Ive Had A Hysterectomy
If your uterus was surgically removed through a hysterectomy, you may not know youre going through menopause unless you experience hot flashes.
This can also happen if youve had an endometrial ablation and your ovaries werent removed. Endometrial ablation is the removal of the lining of your uterus as treatment for heavy menstruation.
If you arent having any symptoms, a blood test can determine if your ovaries are still functioning. This test can be used to help doctors find out your estrogen level, which may be beneficial if youre at risk of osteoporosis. Thats because knowing your estrogen status may be important in determining whether you need a bone density assessment.
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Starting Periods At A Young Age Is Linked To Early Menopause
Girl talk: puberty hits younger and younger
Women are more likely to go through menopause early if they started menstruating before their 12th birthday.
This is the conclusion of the largest study of its kind, involving 50,000 postmenopausal women in the UK, Australia, Japan and Scandinavia.
On average, a first period arrived around age 13 and the last when the women were 50. But 14 per cent had their first period before they were 12, and 10 per cent had their last period before they turned 45.
To investigate whether there was a link between early menstruation and early menopause, Gita Mishra at the University of Queensland, Australia, and her colleagues performed a statistical analysis, adjusting for possible confounding variables like weight and smoking.
They found that women who began menstruating before the age of 12 were 31 per cent more likely to have an early menopause between the ages of 40 and 44.
Of the women who had their first period when they were 13, only 1.8 per cent had premature menopause , and 7.2 per cent reached menopause early. But in women who had their first period when they were 11 or younger, 3.1 per cent had premature menopause, and 8.8 per cent went through it early.
When To See A Doctor About Absent Menstruation
A teenage girl who hasnt started her periods by at least age 16 should see a doctor. A trip to the doctors office is also necessary if she is age 14 or older and hasnt experienced any signs of puberty yet. These changes would include the following in numbered order of appearance:
Menstruating women and teens should see their doctor if they have missed three or more periods in a row.
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Q What Can I Do About Perimenopausal Weight Gain
You Might Start Breaking Out Before Your Period
Once you hit 40, its like going through puberty again, says Dr. Gupta, who warns women that they might start breaking out again, just like in high school. “I call it the second wind of the dying female hormonal machine, she adds. Women also start to get hot flashes and night sweats during perimenopause, but these symptoms tend to come and go as hormones fluctuate, says Dr. Dunsmoor-Su.
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Fertility In The Aging Female
A womans best reproductive years are in her 20s. Fertility gradually declines in the 30s, particularly after age 35. Each month that she tries, a healthy, fertile 30-year-old woman has a 20% chance of getting pregnant. That means that for every 100 fertile 30-year-old women trying to get pregnant in 1 cycle, 20 will be successful and the other 80 will have to try again. By age 40, a womans chance is less than 5% per cycle, so fewer than 5 out of every 100 women are expected to be successful each month.
Women do not remain fertile until menopause. The average age for menopause is 51, but most women become unable to have a successful pregnancy sometime in their mid-40s. These percentages are true for natural conception as well as conception using fertility treatment, including in vitro fertilization . Although stories in the news media may lead women and their partners to believe that they will be to able use fertility treatments such as IVF to get pregnant, a womans age affects the success rates of infertility treatments. The age-related loss of female fertility happens because both the quality and the quantity of eggs gradually decline.
Will Hormone Therapy Help Prevent Long
The benefits and risks of hormone therapy vary depending on a womans age and her individual history. In general, younger women in their 50s tend to get more benefits from hormone therapy as compared to postmenopausal women in their 60s. Women who undergo premature menopause are often treated with hormone therapy until age 50 to avoid the increased risk that comes from the extra years of estrogen loss.
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How Will I Know If I Am Starting The Transition To Menopause
Sometimes it can be hard for you and your doctor to tell whether you are in perimenopause, the transition to menopause:
- Symptoms: Tell your doctor or nurse about any menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes or trouble sleeping.
- Irregular periods: Track your periods. Irregular periods may be your first sign of menopause.
- Hormone levels: Your doctor may test the amount of hormones in your blood if your periods stopped at an early age . Doctors dont usually recommend this test unless there is a medical reason to do so. This is because, for most women, hormone levels go up and down in an unpredictable way during the transition to menopause. So it is difficult to tell for sure whether you have gone through menopause or are getting close to it based on this blood test.
What Is Perimenopause Or The Transition To Menopause
Perimenopause , or the menopausal transition, is the time leading up to your last period. Perimenopause means around menopause.
Perimenopause is a long transition to menopause, or the time when your periods stop permanently and you can no longer get pregnant. As your body transitions to menopause, your hormone levels may change randomly, causing menopause symptoms unexpectedly. During this transition, your ovaries make different amounts of the hormones estrogen and progesterone than usual.
Irregular periods happen during this time because you may not ovulate every month. Your periods may be longer or shorter than usual. You might skip a few months or have unusually long or short menstrual cycles. Your period may be heavier or lighter than before. Many women also have hot flashes and other menopause symptoms during this transition.
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Bleeding After Menopause Isnt Considered Normal
If you are confirmed to be in menopause and you experience bleeding there are a few different explanations.
While we strongly urge you to see a doctor to understand these symptoms, dont panic. Not all explanations are serious. But you will want to have the more serious explanations ruled out quickly.
Here are some of the most common explanations:
When Does Perimenopause Start
Before you experience menopause, youll go through a transitional period, known as perimenopause. This phase can last for months or years, and usually starts when youre in your mid-to-late 40s. On average, most women experience perimenopause for about four years before their periods stop completely.
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When To Go To The Doctor
Some Medical Terms
A girl’s first menstruation is called menarche. This is pronounced MEN-arc or MEN-arc-y. When a girl passes certain milestones in her development, but does not start having periods, this is called Primary Amenorrhea. This is pronounced A-men-or-rea or Ah-men-or-rea. The word primary is the part that means the girl has never had a period. The amenorrhea part means lack of periods . This is to distinguish it from Secondary Amenorrhea, which is when a woman has had periods and then stops.
The Standards For Going To The Doctor
These standards were developed long ago. Meanwhile the average age of puberty and menarche has dropped. So, Estronaut’s opinion is that checking with a doctor a year or so earlier is not a bad idea. Also, girls of African descent mature sooner than Europeans, by about a year. So, these girls should substract another year.
On age alone: Age 15 1/2 to 16 1/2 for whites, age 14 1/2 to 15 1/2 for blacks.
If no breast or hair development: Age 13 to 14 for whites, age 12 to 13 for blacks.
If there is breast development or hair two years after either of these started.
What Are Hot Flashes And How Long Will I Have Them
Hot flashes are one of the most frequent symptoms of menopause. It is a brief sensation of heat. Hot flashes arent the same for everyone and theres no definitive reason that they happen. Aside from the heat, hot flashes can also come with:
- A red, flushed face.
- Sweating.
- A chilled feeling after the heat.
Hot flashes not only feel different for each person they also can last for various amounts of time. Some women only have hot flashes for a short period of time during menopause. Others can have some kind of hot flash for the rest of their life. Typically, hot flashes are less severe as time goes on.
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Can Menopause Cause Facial Hair Growth
Yes, increased facial hair growth can be a change related to menopause. The hormonal change your body goes through during menopause can result in several physical changes to your body, including more facial hair than you may have had in the past. If facial hair becomes a problem for you, waxing or using other hair removers may be options. Talk to your healthcare provider about your options to make sure you dont pick a product that could harm your skin.
Your Periods Could Become Less Frequent
Before you reach menopause, your body goes through perimenopause, a transition time between normal periods and full menopause , which can last one to five years, says Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su, MD, an ob-gyn in Seattle. Perimenopause is a time thats characterized by irregular menses, which are usually more spaced out. As your hormones start to fluctuate, it can lead to scanter, lighter periods, adds Adeeti Gupta, an ob-gyn and founder of Walk In GYN Care in New York City.
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Will I Gain Weight When I Experience Menopause
Changes in your hormone levels may cause you to gain weight. However, aging can also contribute to weight gain.
Focus on maintaining a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and practicing other healthy habits to help control your weight. Being overweight can increase your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and other conditions.
Fertility In The Aging Male
Unlike the early fertility decline seen in women, a mans decrease in sperm characteristics occurs much later. Sperm quality deteriorates somewhat as men get older, but it generally does not become a problem before a man is in his 60s. Though not as abrupt or noticeable as the changes in women, changes in fertility and sexual functioning do occur in men as they grow older. Despite these changes, there is no maximum age at which a man cannot father a child, as evidenced by men in their 60s and 70s conceiving with younger partners. As men age, their testes tend to get smaller and softer, and sperm morphology and motility tend to decline. In addition, there is a slightly higher risk of gene defects in their sperm. Aging men may develop medical illnesses that adversely affect their sexual and reproductive function. Not all men experience significant changes in reproductive or sexual functioning as they age, especially men who maintain good health over the years. If a man does have problems with libido or erections, he should seek treatment through his primary care provider and/or urologist. Decreased libido may be related to low levels of testosterone.
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