Average Age of Menopause

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 girl attains puberty with the start of her periods or menstruation cycle. This occurs as a monthly cycle in preparation of a possible pregnancy.

The 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.

Menopause is defined as permanent cessation of menstruation due to the normal decline in the function of the ovaries. The ovaries stop releasing ova, in response to which the uterus stops the thickening of the uterine lining. This causes 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 the end of fertility of a woman and the start of a new phase in a woman's life.

A woman experiences hormonal changes that are associated with the start of menopause. This is the time when a woman loses 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 may 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 are experienced, which continue for your entire life.

The average age of cessation of menstruation is about 49 to 59. Initially a few decades back, the average age was about 60 years. Earlier, women generally entered primenopausal age in their 50s and attained menopause at 60. However, with the change in lifestyle, more caffeine and alcohol consumption this age has decreased to 51.

The National Institute on Aging has found that the average age for stoppage of menstruation in the US is, 51. Menopause is a gradual process which takes many years for a woman to attain complete menopause.

However, in some cases a woman may attain menopause as early as in her 30s. This early menopause and may occur due to varied reasons. Some women may experience it after hysterctomy (surgical removal of the uterus). In some cases, chronic smoking may also lead to early menopause. Oophorectomy (removal of ovaries) also leads to this stage.

Artificial radiation, chemotheapeutic drugs, trauma, etc. may lead to premature cessation of menstruation cycle.

A woman may enter perimenopausal age as early as 35 years. However, the average age of menopause is 51 years.