![]() Postmenopausal women with osteoporosis are especially susceptible to fractures of their spine, hips and wrists. During the first few years after menopause, you may lose bone density at a rapid rate, increasing your risk of osteoporosis. This condition causes bones to become brittle and weak, leading to an increased risk of fractures. Ask your doctor for advice on how to protect your heart, such as how to reduce your cholesterol or blood pressure if it's too high. So it's important to get regular exercise, eat a healthy diet and maintain a normal weight. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women as well as in men. When your estrogen levels decline, your risk of cardiovascular disease increases. Heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) disease.For these women, hormone therapy is typically recommended at least until the natural age of menopause in order to protect the brain, heart and bones.Īfter menopause, your risk of certain medical conditions increases. But often no cause of premature menopause can be found. Premature menopause may result from the failure of your ovaries to produce normal levels of reproductive hormones (primary ovarian insufficiency), which can stem from genetic factors or autoimmune disease. About 1% of women experience menopause before age 40 (premature menopause). Radiation therapy to other parts of the body, such as breast tissue or the head and neck, won't affect menopause. Radiation therapy only affects ovarian function if radiation is directed at the ovaries. The halt to menstruation (and fertility) is not always permanent following chemotherapy, so birth control measures may still be desired. These cancer therapies can induce menopause, causing symptoms such as hot flashes during or shortly after the course of treatment. Although you no longer have periods, your ovaries still release eggs and produce estrogen and progesterone. Surgery that removes your uterus but not your ovaries (hysterectomy) usually doesn't cause immediate menopause. Signs and symptoms can be severe, as hormonal changes occur abruptly rather than gradually over several years. Your periods stop, and you're likely to have hot flashes and experience other menopausal signs and symptoms. Surgery to remove your ovaries causes immediate menopause. Your ovaries produce hormones, including estrogen and progesterone, that regulate the menstrual cycle. Surgery that removes the ovaries (oophorectomy). In your 40s, your menstrual periods may become longer or shorter, heavier or lighter, and more or less frequent, until eventually - on average, by age 51 - your ovaries stop releasing eggs, and you have no more periods. As you approach your late 30s, your ovaries start making less estrogen and progesterone - the hormones that regulate menstruation - and your fertility declines. Naturally declining reproductive hormones. Your doctor might recommend other tests and exams, too, including thyroid testing if suggested by your history, and breast and pelvic exams.Īlways seek medical advice if you have bleeding from your vagina after menopause. Preventive health care as you age may include recommended health screening tests, such as colonoscopy, mammography and triglyceride screening. Continue getting these appointments during and after menopause. Keep up with regular visits with your doctor for preventive health care and any medical concerns. If you've skipped a period but aren't sure you've started the menopausal transition, consider a pregnancy test. Despite irregular periods, pregnancy is possible. Periods also tend to happen on shorter cycles, so they are closer together. Often, menstrual periods will skip a month and return, or skip several months and then start monthly cycles again for a few months. Skipping periods during perimenopause is common and expected. Most likely, you'll experience some irregularity in your periods before they end. Signs and symptoms, including changes in menstruation can vary among women. In the months or years leading up to menopause (perimenopause), you might experience these signs and symptoms:
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