Premature Menopause Symptoms – How to Do Away With Them?

Women who experience menopause before the age of 40 are suffering from premature menopause symptoms. These symptoms are almost the same as those who are having menopause later in their lives. Such symptoms are hot flashes, emotional problems, vaginal dryness and decrease in libido.

In some women who have premature menopause, the symptoms are severe. They also tend to have weaker bones faster than those who have menopause. This means that their chances of having osteoporosis are greater thus the chances of having broken bones increase as well.

Premature Menopause

Diagnosing Premature Menopause Symptoms

Menopause is a natural part in a woman’s life when she can no longer get pregnant. This normally happens at the age of 47 to 55. Premature menopause occurs when the woman had stopped having menstrual periods before the age of 40. This is what they call premature ovarian failure (POF) or premature ovarian insufficiency.

In diagnosing premature menopause, the doctor will know if you are having the typical signs of menopause like hot flashes, irregularity of menstrual periods, vaginal dryness and having problems in sleeping. If a woman never had her period for 12 months, menopause is confirmed. This can also be diagnosed as follows:

1. In addition to establishing the symptoms of menopause, a blood test that measures the follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) is also conducted.
2. These hormones are being used by the ovary to make estrogen. If the level of FSH is higher than normal, this means that the ovary stops making estrogen and that proves that you’ve reached menopause. Because estrogen levels vary daily, test must be repeated several times to have an accurate diagnosis.
3. Sometimes premature menopause symptoms are often misinterpreted as signs of other conditions. A doctor needs to be consulted in cases of women having irregular periods before they reach 40. For initial diagnosis of first signs of menopause, the family history of the individual must be determined.
4. In addition to this, blood tests must be done to check estrogen and progesterone levels. Having a test for follicle stimulating hormone and sometimes luteinizing hormone will also help. This is to determine whether the ovaries are functioning properly.
5. Other tests that can be done include those that determine levels of estradiol (type of estrogen) and luteinizing hormone (LH). Low level of estradiol is a sign of menopause because the estradiol level falls when ovaries fail. LH triggers the release of an egg from the ovary and if LH level is high, this means you are in the stage of menopause.
6. If it happens that the ovaries are showing signs of failure or impending menopause, other tests must be performed. Premature ovarian failure can be a cause of genetic or an autoimmune process is present. Diagnosis is important because you will know if a follow up test should be conducted to protect a woman’s health.

Dealing With Premature Menopause Symptoms

As the metabolism of the body changes during menopause, a woman must also know how to deal with premature menopause symptoms. Living a healthy lifestyle is best to handle not only the physical symptoms of menopause but the emotional factors as well. Here are the most important changes a woman should follow:

1. Avoid smoking
2. Alcohol intake should be moderate
3. Exercise for 30 minutes at least 3 times a week
4. Avoid stress
5. Have mammograms and annual breast examination

It is also important to consider natural menopause treatments to treat premature menopause symptoms. There is a list of products out in the market today and four of them are listed on this page: top rated menopause treatments. All you need to do is browse this page to compare these products and see how they work to relieve menopause symptoms.