When does menopause begin? Here's how to recognize the first signs

A woman's body begins to change in her late thirties, but - when exactly do women enter menopause? The answer to that question might surprise you.

Perimenopause and menopause

To specify the terms: menopause is when a woman has not had a period in the last twelve months and is considered to have finished her menstrual years. The average age when a woman enters menopause is between fifty and fifty-one years of age.

However, a few years before that, you may experience the symptoms most commonly associated with menopause – hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness – a phase called perimenopause. During this phase, women still have a menstrual cycle, although it may be irregular. Menstruation can be more abundant or weaker, more frequent or less frequent, writes minimagazin.info.

Perimenopause, on average, lasts about four years, but it can last only a few months. After the age of forty-five, it is quite common for a woman to have irregular periods, hot flashes and vaginal dryness.

Early signs of menopause include: irregular periods, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, night sweats, sleep problems, mood changes, weight gain, hair thinning and thinning, dry skin, loss of breast fullness.

These symptoms can last for several years after the last period. Some of these go away with time, and others, such as vaginal dryness, tend to get worse with age.

How do you know you are in menopause?

It is necessary to pass a whole year without menstruation, in order to say that a woman is in menopause. If you happen to miss your period for, for example, six months, and then you get it, it means that you are not in menopause.

The "clock" goes back to the beginning and it takes a year without a period again to be in menopause. After that happens, you no longer have to worry about contraceptives to prevent pregnancy. However, do not think that because of a shorter period of time, which has passed without menstruation, you cannot remain in another state. There is still a possibility of that happening.

During perimenopause, as a means of preventing pregnancy, contraceptive pills are most often recommended for two reasons: they can alleviate the symptoms of menopause, and at the same time help protect against unwanted pregnancy.

What factors affect when a woman will enter menopause?

Genetics seem to play a major role in whether menopause starts earlier or later. Family history is very relevant and is really the best indicator of when a woman is entering menopause.

Apart from the genetic background, the biggest risks associated with early menopause are smoking, cancer treatment and hysterectomy (removal of the uterus, without removing the ovaries, which can allow the continuation of menstruation).