Pinpointing the Average Age of Menopause

Calculating the average age of menopause is almost impossible for the majority of women. A lot of time, there is just no way to tell when an individual women is going to start going through the process! There are so many factors to take into consideration. There is really just no way to tell. It is all well and good for doctors, gynecologists, et cetera, to come up with an average age. That age range may hold true for a lot of women, certainly. But the fact of the matter is that every woman is different even though all women are the same. There is simply no sure fire way to pinpoint when any woman will start. You, for instance, reading this right now: your guess is really as good as your doctor's. However, with all this being said, there is an "average age," and there are some factors that can help you determine how old you may be when you start menopause.

Part of the reason it is so difficult to really pinpoint the average age at which most women will go through menopause is because there are so many different stages. For instance, the majority of women will go through three – maybe four, depending on your gynecologist's preference. You see, some say menopause begins with pre menopause and that it is the same thing as perimenopause. Others define them as two different stages. For the sake of argument in this article, we will say there are four "traditional" stages for menopause. First you will go through pre menopause. Then you will move on to perimenopause. No matter how you use these two terms, this is the point where your estrogen levels really start to fluctuate. It is during these stages that you will start having erratic periods, hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, et cetera. They lead up to menopause, which is the third stage. You are only in menopause when you have not had a period for twelve months. A year or so after that, you are officially in the post menopausal stage. This stage lasts for the rest of your life.

Now, when a woman follows this pattern, even loosely, doctors do have an idea about the average age and time frame. From start to finish, menopause can last anywhere from ten to fifteen years – or longer, or shorter. You get the idea. However, fifteen is the median. So, presupposing – as most doctors do – that most women enter premenopause when they are in their early to mid forties, then you can expect to be finished by the time you are in your mid to late sixties.

But not every woman will follow this patterns. For instance, have you ever heard of premature menopause? It generally occurs due to outside, health related forces. Women who have had cancer and undergone chemotherapy and/or radiation frequently experience this. So do women who have had hysterectomies. Premature menopause occurs when you start going through the process before you are 40. There is a stage called early menopause as well. It too can come from health problems. However, more and more often nowadays, women are simply going through menopause earlier – before they are 45, to be exact. That is when menopause is classified as early.

Then, too, if your mother, grandmothers, or even your sisters had historical patterns of going through menopause early, later, or "right on schedule," there is a good chance the same will be true for you. Honestly, the best way to tell when you yourself will go through menopause is to look at female members of your family who are closely related to you. Otherwise, basically, you just have to wait and see!