Average Age of Menopause

A woman's life is full of different stages that define her development as a person. From a young girl to a young lady, from a middle-aged woman to her old age, a woman goes through many phases of life. A woman is anatomically different from man as we all know. This anatomical difference leads to many changes in a woman's body. A woman attains puberty with the start of her periods or menstruation cycle. This menstruation cycle occurs as a monthly cycle in preparation of a possible pregnancy. Start of menstruation means a girl has attained sexual maturity. With time, her cycles cease to occur and stop completely at a particular age. This phase in a woman's life is called menopause. In the following paragraphs, we shall discuss the average age of menopause. This discussion will help in understanding menopause for women better.

What is Menopause?

We shall begin understanding menopause for women with the definition for menopause. It is defined as permanent cessation of menstruation due to the normal decline in the function of the ovaries. The ovaries stop releasing ova, the uterus stops the creation of uterine lining, followed by end of the monthly shedding of the uterine lining or menstruation. A woman is said to have entered her menopause, if she does not have a single monthly period for 12 consecutive months. It is an end to fertility of a woman and a start of a new phase in a woman's life.

Average Age of Menopause

A woman experiences hormonal changes that are associated with the start of menopause. This is the time when a woman experiences menopausal symptoms that causes her to lose bone density even if she still gets her monthly cycle. This menopausal transition period is called perimenopause. There are certain symptoms of menopause onset that will help you in understanding menopause for women. It can begin several years before you experience your last menstruation cycle. It generally lasts for about 1 year after the last period. Once an entire year passes without experiencing menstruation, it is said as one has 'been through menopause'. After a year, post menopause symptoms will be experienced and this phase will continue for your entire life.

The average age of menopause is about 49 to 59 years. Initially a few decades back, the average age was about 60 years. Women generally entered primenopausal age in their 50s and attained menopause at 60. however, with the change in lifestyle, more caffeine and alcohol intake has decreased the average age.

The National Institute on Aging has found that the average age for menopause in US is between 51 years. Menopause is a gradual process and will take many years for a woman to attain complete menopause. You can read all about the perimenopause symptoms that will help you know if you have entered this menopausal phase.

However, in some cases a woman may attain menopause as early as in her 30s. This is called early menopause and may occur due to varied reasons. Some women may experience menopause after hysterctomy. In some cases, chronic smoking may also lead to early menopause. Oophorectomy (removal of ovaries) can also lead to menopause. Artificial radiation, chemotheapeutic drugs, trauma, etc. may lead to premature menopause symptoms.

A woman may enter perimenopausal age as early as 35 years. However, the average age of menopause is 51 years. It may vary between 45 to 59 years. Hope the above paragraphs have helped you learn about menopause and understand the start of this important phase in your life.