My Menopause Blog: Causes of "The Pause"

I'm on a roll here.

My own experience with "the Pause" is rather tame and easily paced. I'm 47. My biological clock is ticking as it should. I moan about my missing mane and spend to much time trying to find things that I've forgotten the name of. My period comes, goes, goes, goes, pops back in for a quick visit and goes again. Over all, and to date, I'm managing just fine.

But not all women will experience menopause equally. I'm on the slow, scenic boat to China. Some gals are hit up side the head by a speeding menopause bullet train to hell.

I shall continue with my information download on menopause that arrives prematurely, without invitation and bearing no gift.

There are three main reasons for women to experience premature or sudden menopause.

Premature Ovarian Failure (POF): Typically the result of an autoimmune disorder. Your bodies immune system mistakenly attacks itself. From what I gather, some wires get crossed and your body believes disease has arrived. It then reacts by sending out an army of antibodies to combat the perceived threat. If the antibodies are directed to your reproductive system, your ovarian function my be seriously damaged. Or worse..... completely destroyed. Entire countries have been known to do this too.

Surgery: If you have your ovaries removed ...Oophorectomy.... or have your ovaries, uterus and fallopian tubes removed...Hysterectomy... your hormone levels drop like a rock and you will experience instant menopause. Instant menopause is not easy like the name suggests. Think instant hell.

Here's the picture. First you are recovering from major surgery....maybe as result of a serious disease like ovarian cancer.....and you have immediate menopausal symptoms that are extreme due to the sudden loss of hormone production in your body. Your estrogen production line shuts down. Everyone is fired. You get physical and emotional pain all rolled into one ugly severance package. Ouch.

Even if your ovaries stay put during a hysterectomy, they may be damaged during the operation. Having a tubal ligation ("tubes tied") may also lead to ovary damage and sudden menopause.

Radiation Therapy, Chemotherapy and Tamoxifen: All three treatments disrupt ovarian function. Sometimes your ovaries will return to normal after the chemical treatment has been completed. But not always. Even though your period returns, you may no longer be fertile.

Tamoxifen, which is often prescribed for women who have certain types of breast cancer, serves to block your bodies ability to make estrogen. No estrogen production equals sudden menopause. And again, once Tamoxifen treatment has been completed, ovarian function may resume. Or maybe not.

Sudden menopause can also be a result of excessive weight loss (anorexia). This is yet another complex, female specific condition that requires serious attention. It's just not healthy to starve yourself.

So there's the basics. I'm no doctor. But I can read and gather information.

Sue Richards