Early Menopause. Your Questions Answered by Internal Specialist, Dr Mera

For most women, the menopause starts between the ages of 45 and 55.

If you’re under 45 and have noticed your periods becoming infrequent or stopping altogether, you should speak to a GP.

Causes of early menopause

The ovaries stop working

Early menopause can happen naturally if a woman’s ovaries stop making normal levels of certain hormones, particularly the hormone oestrogen.

This is sometimes called premature ovarian failure, or primary ovarian insufficiency.

The cause of premature ovarian failure is often unknown, but in some women it may be caused by:

• chromosome abnormalities – such as in women with Turner syndrome
• an autoimmune disease – where the immune system starts attacking body tissues
• certain infections, such as tuberculosis, malaria and mumps – but this is very rare

Premature ovarian failure can sometimes run in families. This might be the case if any of your relatives went through the menopause at a very young age (20s or early 30s).