Premature menopause occurs before normal menopause. Normal functioning of ovaries in women stops when a person is suffering from premature menopause. Women suffering from premature menopause are less than 40 years old. Cancer treatments can damage ovaries which may give rise to premature menopause.
There is a huge difference in menopause and premature menopause. In menopause a woman’s fertility and menstrual period stops permanently. In premature menopause a woman is likely to experience irregular menstrual periods. Although premature ovarian failure greatly reduces chances of getting pregnant, it is still a possibility.
Although there are many symptoms of premature menopause, the most common symptom is having irregular menstrual periods. Other symptoms of premature menopause include night sweats, hot flashes, poor concentration, irritability, pain during sex, low sex drive and dryness of vagina. There are also some other health risks involved in premature ovarian failure. Some of them are as follows:
Osteoporosis: This is nothing but loss of bone density and bone strength. This risk can be considerably reduced by having a proper diet and more intake of vitamin D, Calcium. Exercise also can also help a lot.
Low Thyroid Function: Metabolic activities are adversely affected due to low thyroid function. Replacing thyroid hormone is one solution to this problem.
Addison’s disease: Due to this the body finds it difficult to handle physical stress such as illness or injury. Adrenal glands are badly affected.
Heart Disease: This risk can be reduced by taking the help of estrogen replacement therapy. Moderate, regular physical activity is also useful in avoiding this risk.
Estrogen replacement therapy is commonly used in the treatment of premature menopause. This therapy helps woman to have regular menstrual periods and also lowers the risk for osteoporosis. A blood test can determine the hormone level which helps in diagnosing premature ovarian failure.