Early Menopause: What it Means for You & Your Body

The thought of going through early menopause might not be super exciting. We get it. Menopause (and getting older, in general) can be intimidating, but it’s part of our natural life cycle as women and doesn’t have to be something to fear.

In a nutshell, menopause is when you stop getting your period. It happens to all women, and the average age to reach menopause (having 12 consecutive months without a period) is around 51.

Early menopause only happens to a small percentage of women, but it signals a big change at an uncommon time of life, so it can be a struggle to deal with.

So how early can menopause start? And what are the early menopause symptoms to look out for? We’ve rounded up the most important info for you.

In this article: 📝

What is the earliest age for menopause?

Believe it or not, menopause can occur anytime starting in our teenage years. There have been reports of girls as young as 11 experiencing menopause!

However, this is so rare that when “early menopause” is referenced, it usually means reaching menopause between 41-45 years of age. But this can change from person to person, and there's no such thing as a truly accurate menopause age calculator to predict it.

Can I start menopause at 35?

Technically yes, although it’s uncommon. Whereas “early menopause” happens between 41 and 45 years old, premature menopause, sometimes medically referred to as “primary ovarian insufficiency,” is when a woman reaches menopause before age 40.

It occurs in around 1% of the female population and can happen all of a sudden with no obvious cause. [1]

How do you know if you're going through early menopause?

There are many signs of early menopause, so you will probably know if it’s happening to you. Also, you might want to read about perimenopause (symptoms that can occur in the months or years before actual menopause) to see if that might be what you’re experiencing.

So, what are the early signs of menopause? They include:

• Irregular bleeding — this may be two periods in one month, then no period for two months, periods that last longer or less time than usual, or spotting between periods
• Hot flashes, cold flashes, and night sweats
• Mood swings or depression
• A loss of libido and vaginal dryness (which can cause painful sex)
• Trouble sleeping
• Thinning or loss of hair
• Rapid weight gain or loss
• Loss of bladder control (urinary urgency or incontinence)
• Extremely dry skin
• Frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs) or the symptoms of a UTI without an underlying infection
• Headaches, temporary memory loss, and trouble concentrating

If you are experiencing early menopause signs, it’s worth a trip to the doctor

They will likely discuss your symptoms and family history and take a blood test or test your hormone levels to confirm your diagnosis.

What triggers early menopause?

Early onset menopause can be triggered by surgery, as a side-effect of medical treatments, or as a result of diseases or disorders. It can also happen with no known cause.

Sometimes your family history can be an indicator of the age you’ll go through menopause.

So, what causes early menopause?

These are the most common causes of early menopause:

• Genetics: Your family history can play a big part in your early menopause age. Asking your mother, grandmother, or older sisters when they transitioned through menopause will give you a good indication of your own menopause timeline. If you have a clear family history of early menopause, you will likely experience the same.
• Surgery: If you have a bilateral oophorectomy (removal of ovaries) you will experience menopause immediately. If you have a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) without removal of the ovaries, you might not go into menopause right away, but you will likely experience menopause at an earlier age.
• Chemotherapy and radiation therapy treatments for cancers: These can cause damage to the reproductive system, which can trigger premature or early menopause.
• Chromosomal abnormalities: Such as Turner syndrome, pure gonadal dysgenesis, or fragile X syndrome, have all been linked to early menopause.
• Autoimmune diseases: Like lupus, thyroid disease, rheumatoid arthritis, or Crohn’s disease can cause the body to mistakenly attack ovarian tissue, leading to early menopause.
• Epilepsy: Epilepsy has been linked to earlier menopause, particularly when seizures affect the areas of the brain that control hormones. Seizures that start in the temporal lobe can interfere with the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis — the system that regulates reproductive hormones like FSH, LH, and estrogen. Over time, this hormonal disruption may speed up ovarian aging and bring on menopause sooner than expected. [2]
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or ME (Myalgic encephalomyelitis)
• HIV/AIDS
• Lifestyle factors: Including smoking (smokers may experience menopause one to two years earlier than non-smokers), and having a very low BMI (lower body fat levels can reduce estrogen stores, contributing to earlier onset).

Does IVF cause early menopause?

No, IVF doesn’t cause early menopause. Despite what you might have heard, the hormone medication used during IVF doesn’t “use up” your eggs faster. Each month, your body naturally recruits a group of eggs — most of which would otherwise fade away. IVF simply helps more of that month’s eggs mature, rather than pulling from your future supply. [3]

If a woman goes through menopause earlier after IVF, it’s usually because she already had a lower ovarian reserve — not because IVF caused it. One Dutch study published in 2003 found that women who produced fewer eggs during IVF (a sign of reduced reserve) were more likely to experience menopause sooner, but the IVF itself wasn’t to blame. So, while IVF can reveal more about your fertility health, it doesn’t change how your ovaries age — that part’s already written in your biology. [4]

What are the concerns with going through early menopause?

With couples waiting longer to have children, it might happen that a woman goes through premature or early menopause before she’s had a chance to have a baby. Since menopause symptoms sometimes start up to four years before your period officially stops, a woman with premature menopause might start ovulating irregularly in her early 30’s, which could make it more difficult to get pregnant.

Additionally, the hormone estrogen is vital to keeping our heart, bones, and brain healthy. Menopause decreases estrogen, so early menopause can mean that a woman experiences the effects of decreased estrogen for a longer portion of her life, thus increasing the likelihood of certain diseases.

Women who go through menopause earlier may have a higher risk of developing osteoporosis or bone fractures later in life because of faster bone loss. The same goes for heart health. Estrogen helps maintain healthy blood vessels and good cholesterol levels, so lower levels over a longer period can raise the risk of heart disease or stroke.

Does early menopause cause cancer?

Short answer: no — early menopause doesn’t cause cancer. In fact, fewer lifetime years of oestrogen exposure generally means a lower risk of some hormone-sensitive cancers, including breast and endometrial cancer. Large pooled analyses show breast cancer risk is higher with later menopause, and meta-analysis data link later menopause with a higher endometrial cancer risk. That’s the opposite of “early menopause causes cancer.” [5]

Here’s the nuance: some women who experience premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) or very early menopause also carry underlying genetic factors that raise cancer risk — the menopause isn’t the cause, it’s a marker of what’s going on under the hood. Recent work has tied POI with a higher breast cancer risk in subsets of women (especially where DNA-repair gene variants or strong family history are present), and one large cohort found premature menopause was associated with a small increase in biliary tract cancers — again pointing to shared biology, not causation. If early menopause is on your radar, it’s worth a personalised talk about family history, genetic testing, screening, and symptom care. [6]

Is premature menopause serious?

The reality is that premature menopause comes with some very real health risks. These include: [7]

• Osteoporosis (a disease that weakens your bones)
• Heart disease
• Mood disorders
• Neurological diseases like dementia

Is there treatment for early menopause?

Women who experience premature menopause or early onset menopause will often be offered hormone treatment, such as HRT or a contraceptive pill, to boost estrogen levels until the woman reaches the average age of menopause (the early 50s).

This can help ward off some menopausal symptoms and can reduce the risk of developing conditions associated with prematurely low estrogen levels, like heart disease, dementia, or osteoporosis.

However, these treatments do come with their own pros and cons, so it’s worth having a full discussion with your physician before making a decision. If you think you’re experiencing early menopause, give your doctor a call.

Life after early menopause: What comes next

Early menopause can feel like an unwanted plot twist — especially if it happens before you’re ready. But it doesn’t define you, and it definitely doesn’t mean your best years are behind you. With the right support, treatment, and community, you can take charge of your symptoms and protect your long-term health. From HRT to lifestyle tweaks, there are effective ways to feel like you again.

And remember, you don’t have to navigate it solo. On Peanut, women share their experiences, questions, and advice about everything from hormone therapy to the emotional rollercoaster that can come with early menopause. You deserve support that meets you where you are — and a space that reminds you that change doesn’t have to mean loss.