When the symptoms associated with menopause – such as hot flashes, insomnia and low libido – start earlier than expected, OB-GYN Montgomery County Dr. Rania Ibrahim warns that the impact on a woman’s mental health and relationships can be extensive.
The period leading up to menopause can be an unsettling time for many women, both emotionally and physically. But what happens when a woman starts experiencing these changes in her 30s, or even 20s?
Your OB-GYN Montgomery County finds that the psychological impact on younger women who are going through menopause earlier in life can be major. Women tend to experience significantly higher levels of depression and anxiety if they experience premature menopause.
Premature menopause can also take a toll on a woman’s work performance, personal relationships and family life. It can become difficult to discuss what you’re experiencing or have an intimate relationship with your partner when you’re having hot flashes and vaginal dryness and can really have an impact on your intimacy. Then there’s also the fact that you might not have had children yet – or all the children that you wanted to have – and that option has been taken from you.
Your OB-GYN Montgomery County finds that most women experience menopause between the ages of 45 and 55, and so they expect the menopausal symptoms to start around this time. But in reality, the transition to menopause (perimenopause) can commence up to a decade before a female has her final period, leaving her with hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, lower libido, heavy periods, depression and anxiety at a younger age than anticipated.
Then there are women patients who experience premature menopause, which typically occurs before the age of 40, or early menopause, which begins between the ages of 41 and 45. In some cases, menopause is prompted as a result of medical treatment, such as cancer treatments or because a woman’s ovaries and/or uterus have been removed.
If you don’t feel comfortable speaking with friends or family about how you’re feeling, your OB-GYN Montgomery County Dr. Rania Ibrahim is here to help. Don’t hesitate – feel better now – call today to schedule your confidential consultation.