Only old women go through menopause? Wrong! For some, menopause comes earlier than expected. How to recognize the symptoms

You hear the word menopause and immediately think of older women? You are much too young for that? That’s not true! Many women simply don’t feel addressed by the topic of menopause, even though it can affect them sooner than they think.

The problem is that women often already have the first symptoms and simply don’t recognize them or don’t associate them with menopause. Yet menopause occurs 10 to 15 years earlier in about 3 to 5 percent of German women.

What is menopause and menopause?

Quite simply, menopause is your very last menstrual period. The so-called menopause is the phase in which the ovaries slowly become more and more inactive, the body reduces the production of the hormone estrogen and the intervals between menstrual periods become larger or more irregular, until the period finally stops completely.

This process is completely normal for women over 40. Sure, periods are a pain, but when they stop in your mid-30s and you’re definitely not pregnant, you might wonder.

Symptoms of menopause can vary greatly from woman to woman. These 6 physical changes may be a sign that your body is shutting down estrogen production and no more eggs are maturing:

1. decreased libido.

It’s not just a temporary lull: even though everything is right in your relationship, you’re increasingly losing the desire to have sex.

2. hot flashes

You feel hot more and more often, you sweat more and your pulse increases. (By the way, hot flashes are normal during your period and should not worry you unnecessarily).

3. insomnia

Sleeping deeply and soundly through the night used to be a thing of the past: you often lie awake at night, the deep sleep phases are short and at the same time often accompanied by night sweats and anxiety.

4. sudden weight gain

It’s like a jinx: Although nothing has changed in your sports and eating habits, the number on the scale suddenly increases.

5. lack of energy

Sometimes it’s as if your battery is completely empty: You feel remarkably often listless and are also exhausted more quickly, for example during physical activities.

6. mood swings

You’re not really a moody person, but lately your emotions have been riding a roller coaster on a regular basis for no apparent reason. Sky-high happiness is soon followed by a sad and miserable mood.

But you don’t have to fiddle around with that: Whether you are actually already in menopause can be tested in the first days of the cycle by a blood test at the gynecologist. The follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and estrogen are measured.

What are the risks of early menopause?

Since the hormone estrogen is responsible for many important functions for the female body from puberty onwards, various risks arise as soon as this hormone ceases to exist too early. The following risks can occur:

Osteoporosis

The hormone estrogen is responsible for the formation of strong bones. Since the body has to do without this hormone for longer if menopause occurs early, the risk of developing osteoporosis is greater due to early menopause.

Heart disease

Not only do your bones need estrogen, it also relaxes the muscles around blood vessels, balances high blood pressure, and keeps arteries free of emboli, blood clots, and blockages.

Dementia

Women with premature menopause may also experience earlier onset of cognitive decline. An increased risk of developing dementia has also been linked to the absence of estrogen.

Depression

Greek researchers found that estrogen stimulates the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain. So if estrogen is missing, it affects your mood. Also, symptoms of menopause, especially if not properly diagnosed, can be really confusing and emotionally distressing, increasing your risk for depression.

5 tips on how to prevent premature menopause

This much in advance: Menopause cannot be stopped or reversed. Every woman has only a certain amount of eggs in her ovaries. When exactly the hormonal transition begins for you is influenced by various factors. These include genetic predisposition, family history (check with your mother), and being overweight or underweight. Unfortunately, you can’t influence the genetic component, but you can influence a few other factors:

1. sport

Exercise regulates your hormones and keeps your body fat percentage at a constant level. However, over-exercising is rather unhealthy, as it can cause hormonal imbalance, which can lead to irregular ovulation and possibly early hormone depletion.

2. do not smoke

Still smoking? Try to quit as soon as possible. According to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, smoking is one of the most common causes of early menopause.

Chemicals in cigarettes such as nicotine, cyanide and carbon monoxide can accelerate the loss of eggs. Unfortunately, once they’re dead, they can’t regenerate. For this reason, smokers reach menopause on average 4–5 years earlier than non-smokers.

3. avoid plastic

Could it be that makeup, shower gel, plastic bottles and microwaved food cause serious hormonal changes? Scientists are actually looking into a possible link here.

Preliminary research already showed that early menopause can be triggered in part by chemicals in the environment. So-called endocrine disruptors, which affect hormone balance, are repeatedly found in plastics.

4. less alcohol

Alcohol alone may not trigger early menopause, but too much alcohol combined with caffeine can limit your fertility.

5. keep weight

Because estrogen is stored in fat tissue, obesity is one of the main causes of too much estrogen. This is unhealthy because too much estrogen can lead to ovarian failure.

Also problematic, being severely underweight can cause the body to shut down all non-essential systems like your fertility. No matter which end of the weight spectrum you’re on, the more extreme, the more likely you are to experience early menopause.

How does hormone replacement therapy work?

To relieve the symptoms of menopause and reduce its long-term effects, there is a treatment that replaces your body’s estrogen levels with a chemically identical alternative (called HRT). The drug is given at a lower dose and normalizes the menstrual cycle. Talk to your gynecologist about it!

Sooner or later, you too will go through menopause. This is normal and part of a woman’s life. If you recognize the signs in time, you can counteract the risks of menopause and don’t feel quite so lost when your hormones get out of balance.