Menopause And Your Age - When Will It Come?

If there is one question that is burning in every woman's brain, it is at what age they will be when they go through menopause. It is not a simple answer by any means. Some women can start their premature menopause as early as their late thirties, while other women can start entering menopause in their late forties.

Menopause itself only happens when you have gone an entire year without a period. Everything before menopause can be referred to as premenopause or perimenopause.

While you may think that by fifty, you have entered menopause in its entirety, which is not completely the truth. Women can enter premenopause very early and can then enter menopause itself early, or they can sometimes enter menopause very late, as they went into premenopause late. When it comes to menopause, there are a few different steps and types- pre menopause, perimenopause, natural menopause, early menopause and finally premature menopause. All of these are different types or steps of menopause and will be explained below.

Natural menopause is when you enter menopause naturally - usually women will start going through menopause in their late forties. However, the average age for menopause is fifty-one, with a leeway of numerous years either way. There are still those women that will not start experiencing menopause until their sixties, yes - that is possible. All in all, there is no way to know when natural menopause will hit. Natural menopause can occur in all different types of ages and you are only officially in menopause when you have not had a period for twelve months.

Early menopause is a step that is before pre menopause. When you start to experience menopausal symptoms before the age of forty five, symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, erratic periods and such than you have entered early menopause. Genetics also have a part to play in all of this - or on the flip side, you can be the first woman in your family going through early menopause. Chemotherapy, a hysterectomy and some other outside forces can be the cause of early menopause. If you have gone through any one of these, you are more than likely going to start going through early menopause. While early menopause may seem scary - it is more irritating than anything. Everything changes though, your moods, body type and emotions all change.

Taking a look at your family tree is one of the best resources you can use to judge which age you may start experiencing menopausal symptoms. Your mom, grandma and sister's history of menopause can be your greatest indication if you should expect early menopause. It is a good bet that you will probably follow in the same foot steps as your family members. You can even go back as far as your great grandmother to see what age she might have started going through menopause. If most of the women in your family started early menopause, there is a good chance you will have to go through it too.

About the Author

Lance Thorington's articles have been published on different sites online including web sites, blogs, ezines and email lists. If you want more about menopause age visit the site at http://www.menopauseabout.com/Menopause-Age.html

Article Directory: http://www.articlerich.com