Today, women are increasingly complaining that their menopausal symptoms appear earlier than they should. Does this mean that menopause is «younger»? And what could it mean? We asked the experts.
“I’ve been feeling weird lately,” says Natalia, 35. — Turned into some kind of grumpy grandmother. She became very irritable, quick-tempered, touchy. I put on a lot of weight in a couple of months. Periodically, for no reason at all, it becomes very hot, as if a wave of hot air is pouring over me. I became indifferent to sex. And most importantly — all this against the backdrop of a menstrual cycle failure. Googled — very similar to the symptoms of menopause. But I’m only 35 years old! Is it possible? It’s scary to go to the gynecologist – I’m afraid they will put me on hormones.”
Is there an early menopause?
In fact, the term «early menopause» in medicine is not. “The menopause, which on average occurs in women aged 45-55 years, has not yet been canceled by nature, and its age limits remain unchanged,” says Maria Zavolovskaya, a gynecologist-endocrinologist. — As a rule, ovarian wasting syndrome (OIS) is mistakenly called early menopause. Only a gynecologist can diagnose it. It is usually confirmed by ultrasound and hormone testing.
The symptoms of SIA are similar to the manifestations of menopause. In particular, with it there is a violation of the menstrual cycle or there is no menstruation. But the reason for its appearance is different.
The female reproductive system is a finely organized structure that can only work well in comfortable conditions.
It becomes vulnerable and can fail when the body is overloaded and suffers from constant stress, sleep problems, poor nutrition, illness …
Therefore, ovarian function can be disturbed at different age periods, even in a girl at 25 years old. All of these negative symptoms are frequent companions of modern life. This is partly the reason for the high percentage of infertility and the growing demand for the IVF procedure.”
Do not panic
On the other hand, in general, the age of female youth has recently, on the contrary, extended. “And this confirms the fact that childbirth after 40 is no longer a rarity,” says psychologist Elena Shmatova. — This is largely due to the fact that the culture of caring for your physical and emotional health has grown in our country.
Often, problems with reproductive health are caused by a psychological state, and not necessarily associated with overload at work. In my practice, there were cases when girls failed to create relationships and give birth to a child, and the environment strongly pressed with the idea that “it’s high time”. Strong dependence on the opinions of others did its job. The result is guilt, self-hatred, psychological breakdown, panic attacks and, alas, hormonal imbalances.”
Against the background of experiences, the cycle may be disturbed, its duration and intensity may change. This is how our body reacts to a stressful situation. “I was diagnosed with amenorrhea after a difficult breakup,” says 32-year-old Anastasia. — I was generally disappointed in the relationship due to the betrayal of a loved one. She blamed herself for everything, considered herself an insolvent woman, incapable of creating a family.
Everything has its time?
“It must be taken into account that the psychological factor is important, but not the only one in this matter,” recalls Irina Luzina, an obstetrician-gynecologist and surgeon. — Sometimes it is impossible to change the term established by nature due to genetic reasons.
If a mother or grandmother had menopause at the age of 35-40, unfortunately, it will not be possible to change the course of events, no matter how hard you try. In other cases it is possible. It is only necessary to engage in prevention from the age of 18, and not ring all the bells at 40.
The fact is that risk factors arise throughout life. They can cause early ovarian failure. These are various gynecological and endocrine diseases. For example, cysts that “eat up” the follicular reserve, or dysfunction of the thyroid gland. Therefore, the recommendation to visit a gynecologist once a year is not empty words.
It is necessary to regularly do an ultrasound of the small pelvis, monitor the hormonal status, eliminate the deficiency of macro- and microelements: iron, ferritin, vitamin D. All these measures contribute to the preservation of the ovarian reserve — a supply of full-fledged, high-quality eggs in the ovaries.
There are no drugs or procedures that directly affect the prolongation of ovarian function.
“Now they talk a lot about placental droppers, physiotherapy, pressure chambers. But all these are only auxiliary methods that are not able to increase the synthesis of sex hormones. It is believed that taking hormonal contraceptives can delay the onset of menopause. Indeed, taking pills normalizes the menstrual cycle. But this may simply be a reaction to taking contraceptives, even if the ovaries no longer work at all or work at half strength.
With the help of modern methods of treatment, much is possible — to remove the symptoms, thereby maintaining the quality of life, to prevent or slow down certain changes in the body that are associated with the extinction of ovarian function. But, alas, at the moment it is impossible to prolong their work, ”concludes Irina Luzina.