Early Perimenopause | Symptoms Of Menopause | Information About Menopause

John Gibb is a nutrition enthusiast with over ten years of nutrition education and has now become a freelance writer. Currently, he focuses on information articles focused on women's health and fitness. Read more at http://www.the-menopause-source.com

Menopause is a normal condition that affects almost all women around their mid life. It is hormonal triggered and it is a consequence of the transition of the woman's body from the fertile period to the period when the ovary is not producing eggs anymore. Every woman should be familiar with the causes of this period of transition and with the fact that it has major effects on the woman's body and mind.

Because menopause is primarily hormone related, it does not only have physical consequences (mainly represented by the absence of the menstrual monthly cycles), but also on the person's mind (changes in mood, problems of concentrations and short periods of tiredness).

The average age of the apparition of menopause is around 50. When the first symptoms of menopause occur around this age, it is considered a normal thing. But there are cases when the first symptoms of menopause begin to occur much earlier, around the age of 40 (or even earlier, in very rare cases).

Every woman knows mostly what to expect of during her midlife when menopause is set to occur. But some women are taken by surprise when they observe these symptoms way before that age, around their 40s. In fact, almost 4 million of American women suffer from early menopause and their reproductive system begins to stop producing eggs around the age of 40.

The first symptom of an early menopause is a change in the normal menstrual activity. Your periods may come more frequently, every 24 days instead of every 28, or they may come later than they used to. You may have a light period that lasts only a few days, then the next month have very heavy bleeding. There are several types of menstrual irregularity that can occur: shorter than normal cycles (periods that come more frequent - this is a sign of low levels of estrogen), extremely light periods, very intense menstrual bleeding or even skipped periods.

Other symptoms that can alert you that you may be suffering from early menopause are the apparition of hot flashes (75 to 85% of American women are estimated to get hot flashes when they're in menopause) or periods of sweating during the night.

Vaginal dryness and atrophy are also signs that your menopause cam come earlier. Bladder problems and sleep problems are also other symptoms, usually associated with menopause and if they occur frequently, it may also be a sign of early menopause.

Irregularities in the menstrual cycle and mood changes may not be related to premature menopause, but could be a sign of some other abnormality. That is why it is important to discuss any problems that has occurred with your doctor before taking any sort of treatment.

Early Menopause Symptoms - Our Guide