It is common for women to enter early menopause. Do you know the reasons?

Menopause is an important stage in life that women go through, which usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55. However, due to multiple factors, many women experience menopause and enter menopause before the age of 45 or even 40, which undoubtedly accelerates women's aging and has a negative impact on their health. In this regard, Ruan Xiangyan, director of the Department of Endocrinology at Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University, analyzed the main causes and countermeasures of premature menopause.

1. High mental stress. Emotions can affect women's endocrine system. When women experience anxiety, depression, or stress, the pituitary gland in the brain that controls hormone secretion will malfunction, leading to impaired ovulation in the ovaries, which in turn can cause ovarian dysfunction.

2. Poor eating habits. Malnutrition caused by excessive weight loss and obesity caused by overeating will affect the pituitary gland in the brain, leading to disorders in the secretion of gonadotropin and affecting the normal function of the ovaries.

3. Immune system diseases. Patients with inherited autoimmune diseases are also at risk for premature ovarian failure. These diseases include rheumatoid disease, ankylosing spondylitis, lupus erythematosus, etc.

4. Iatrogenic factors. Ruan Xiangyan explained that another cause of ovarian aging is the treatment of certain diseases, such as bone marrow transplantation, radiotherapy and chemotherapy for ovarian tumors, etc. These treatments can indeed alleviate or even cure the disease and prolong the patient's life, but they can also damage ovarian function, accelerate ovarian decline, and lead to early menopause.

Experts say that hormone therapy is currently the most effective way to deal with menopause-related problems. If women who are experiencing premature menopause, menopause or postmenopause experience any discomfort, they should visit a gynecological endocrinologist. After excluding contraindications through examination, individualized treatment will be provided based on their personal hormone levels, blood lipid values, liver function, etc. The earlier hormone treatment is started, the better. It can significantly relieve symptoms such as hot flashes, headaches, muscle pain, mood changes, insomnia, sexual dysfunction (including decreased libido), osteoporosis, etc., and greatly improve the quality of life.

To prevent premature menopause, Ruan Xiangyan makes the following suggestions: 1. Eat a balanced diet. It is essential to maintain hormone balance by not being picky or partial to certain foods and by consuming a balanced variety of foods such as vegetables, fruits, and grains. 2. Maintain a reasonable amount of exercise. The general population (especially after the age of 40) should exercise for more than 40 minutes a day, which is very important for increasing the body's metabolic rate and controlling weight. 3. Maintain an optimistic attitude. It will have a positive impact on the body's endocrine system. 4. Create a healthy environment. Smoking accelerates ovarian aging, so quit smoking and avoid secondhand smoke. 5. Actively avoid some pollution sources, such as radiation, air pollution, decoration pollution, etc., reduce exposure to environmental toxins, get more in touch with nature, and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Women's age at menopause

Menopause in women refers to the period when ovarian function further declines and eventually disappears. According to foreign statistics, the risk of death for women who menopause before the age of 40 is 39% higher than that for women who menopause between the ages of 40 and 44, 60% higher than that for women who menopause between the ages of 45 and 49, and 95% higher than that for women who menopause between the ages of 50 and 54. Therefore, understanding the various factors that affect menopause and delaying the age of menopause are issues that cannot be ignored in the health care of middle-aged and elderly women.

The most important factor determining a woman's age at menopause is the number of oocytes. When a baby is born, there are about one million oocytes in each ovary, and the number of oocytes continues to decrease after birth. When the number of oocytes decreases to a critical number, menopause occurs. The mechanism that controls or regulates the rate of oocyte decline is not yet fully understood, but the following factors are clearly related to the early or late menopause.

Nutrition is closely related to the age of menopause. Studies have found that compared with women who are long-term malnourished, short and light, the average age of menopause is 43.6 years old, while that of women who are well-nourished, relatively tall and relatively heavy is 47.3 years old. Smoking is a major factor in early menopause. Benzopyrene in cigarettes is a lethal factor to oocytes. Animal experiments have shown that a small dose of benzopyrene can destroy 25% of oocytes, while a large dose of benzopyrene can destroy 98% of oocytes. A survey by the Royal University Hospital in the UK showed that women who smoke enter menopause 54 years earlier than non-smoking women on average.