Premature Menopause

Featuring Dr. Nishi Dhawan, MD, CCFP

Duration: 1 minute, 53 seconds

Premature menopause is when a woman stops her periods before the age of 40.

Because menopause normally occurs around the age of 51, 40 is a very young age, and those women are very different than the older counterparts.

Premature menopause is assoc with often dramatic symptoms similar to menopause, but because there's such a sudden decline in hormones the effect on a woman at the younger age is much more dramatic.

Symptoms of premature menopause are very similar to an actual menopause at 50 which include hot flashes, anxiety, dryness, difficulty sleeping. But because a woman is much younger and there's a dramatic decline in hormone levels, the experience of these symptoms can be quite severe.

In addition, women can have things like low libido or low sex drive, notice a significant decline in their muscle mass and experience some premature aging. So it's really important for a woman, if she has premature menopause, to see her physician to find our what may be causing it.

There are some things that cause premature menopause, such as autoimmune disorders or if it's a surgical reason or a hormonal imbalance, as well as to really look at the other things like lifestyle factors which will really optimize her transition of declining hormones at such a young age.

If hormone deficiencies aren't corrected they are at risk of developing osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease in many of these women if things are not treated appropriately. So it's really important for this group to follow through with their physician and take good care of themselves.

Presenter: Dr. Nishi Dhawan, Family Doctor, Vancouver, BC

Local Practitioners: Family Doctor