There are more women entering menopause during this decade than ever before in the history of the world. One could speculate and determine that the reason for this phenomenon is solely because there are more women in the world as the global population is rising at an explosive rate. While this is partly right, it isn’t the only reason. There are other new developing trends that contribute to the current rise in women entering and achieving menopause.

The age of women in natural menopause

The average age for women to enter menopause symptoms is 51 years. The normal range is considered to be between 40 and 55, but there are some women who do not begin menopause until as late as age 61. The earlier the onset of menopause, however; the higher the risk of developing serious health issues such as osteoporosis, heart disease and cancer.

See Also: Menopause and Osteoporosis: How to Manage?

Increasing levels of early menopause in younger women

Recent studies have discovered a trend in early menopause that is occurring globally in women under the age of 40. Estimates now conclude that one in every 20 women will experience this early onset of the end of their productive cycles. The percentages are on the rise and this is signaling a disturbing trend in women who are reaching the end of their fertility cycles early.

What is causing the trend of premature menopause?

Some women entering early menopause have begun to abruptly stop having their menstrual periods before age 40 and physicians can find no medical reason for this. It is baffling that there are no answers in so many cases. Around 6 percent of early menopause cases remain unexplained. This is a 4 to 5 percent rise since the 1980s which signifies a definite measurable trend. Researchers are currently looking into the factors which may cause this dramatic rise in premature menopause.

Risk factors contributing to early menopause

Research into possible factors that contribute to the likelihood of early menopause is ongoing, but some of the evidence suggests that women from low socioeconomic backgrounds are three times more likely to encounter premature menopause than their counterparts in the upper socioeconomic class.

There is some speculation as to more specific causes for this trend, such as the possibility that women from poor backgrounds may be subjected to a variety of different environmental factors than their better off counterparts. Does nutrition or the quality of medical care have an impact? These are questions that have yet to be answered with any certainty. As more clinical studies conclude, perhaps thy mystery of this phenomenon will be solved. Until then, the answers remain elusive.

In addition to this, other risk factors include smoking, early menses starting before age 12

Risks associated with early menopause

Women who enter menopause early have a higher risk of developing serious health conditions

What can be done to lessen risk factors associated with early menopause?

Some experts believe that estrogen supplements can be helpful in decreasing certain risks in women with early menopause. Osteoporosis, diabetes and some types of cancer risks may be decreased. But the risks for developing other conditions such as heart disease increase with long term use.

Can anything be done to prevent early menopause?

More research is needed to determine the reasons for unexplained cases of premature menopause. As of this time, there are no answers to this question. The speculations are giving researchers more directions for study, but this takes additional funding resources and time to complete.

Conclusion

Menopause is definitely on the rise and it isn’t merely due to the population explosion. There is a significant increase in the percentage of women who are experiencing early menopause on a global level. This is accompanied by an estimate of 6 percent of the cases that have no medical reason and remain a mystery. Roughly a third of them are from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, but more research is needed to determine the correlation of this factor.

Speculation has provided no solid answers as to why this is happening, but it has given researchers some direction to take as they delve deeper into the questions which surround this phenomenon. There are no known preventative measures that can be taken to lessen the incidence of early menopause, but the health risks associated with this condition can be mitigated through hormone therapy.