When does menopause usually occur?

Menopause occurs when a woman's body no longer releases eggs, and her ovaries substantially reduce production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone.

A woman is considered to have entered menopause when she goes without a menstrual cycle for 12 consecutive months. In most cases, this happens between the ages of 45 and 55, although sometimes it occurs much earlier or later.

How can I tell if I am in menopause?

If you have not had a period for a year and no other biological or physiological cause can be determined, you are in menopause.

To find out if there is another cause, a physician can take several steps such as performing a physical examination, taking a medical history and conducting tests for levels of certain hormones.

What causes early menopause?

Menopause most often occurs as a part of the aging process. Sometimes, however, it may take place prematurely, as with surgical menopause. This occurs when a woman has a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) and oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries). The symptoms in this case most often occur soon after the surgery and are often more severe than with natural menopause.

Other, less common, causes of premature menopause are genetic predisposition, cancer treatments, smoking, chromosome defects and autoimmune diseases.