As a woman, it’s easy to want to push menopause back as long as possible. Let’s be honest, no woman actually wants to go through vaginal dryness, night sweats, hot flashes or painful intercourse. You would be kind of crazy if you did.
For some women, menopause happens early, much earlier than expected. What are some of the causes of early menopause?
Surgery
If a woman has had her ovaries surgically removed she will experience immediate menopause. Along with ovary removal, other types of surgery to your abdomen can also lead to early menopause as a result of interrupted blood flow to the ovaries and death of follicles.
Autoimmune Disorders
These disorders include lupus, insulin-dependent diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and hypothyroidism. With autoimmune diseases, the immune system may begin to attack the follicles in your ovaries. The inflammation caused by these attacks and diseases affects the ovaries by halting their function and thus beginning menopause.
Epilepsy
Premature ovarian failure is much more likely to occur in women with epilepsy, a seizure disorder in the brain, leading to menopause. In a study found in the journal “Epliepsia,” 14 percent of a group of women with epilepsy had premature menopause as compared to the 1 percent of the general population.
Lifestyle Factors
Various lifestyle factors including smoking, body mass index and vegetarianism are just some of the factors that could link to early onset menopause. In another study, it would concluded that women who smoke regularly are likely to start menopause years before women who don’t smoke.
Cancer Treatments
Cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation can damage the genetic material in ovarian cells. The amount of damage depends on several factors. For instance the type of drug and the dosage as well as you age and the area of the body that is getting radiated.
It’s helpful to know what causes premature menopause. If you are still concerned about if you could go through vaginal dryness and night sweats early, ask your doctor about other possible instances of premature menopause.
Sources:
http://www.healthline.com/health/menopause/causes-early#overview1
http://www.health.com/menopause/5-reasons-why-some-women-go-through-early-menopause
http://www.rd.com/health/conditions/early-menopause-reasons/
The post Five Reasons You Could Go Through Menopause Earlier Than You Think appeared first on Femininity.