Mind Over Menopause

Are you a twin? If you are, there’s a good chance that your menopause will come earlier than you expect.

I’m talking about premature ovarian failure here, not premature menopause as a result of surgery.

As I’ve said in an earlier post When does it start?, the average age of the onset of menopause is 51, plus or minus several years either way.

If you’re in your thirties and start experiencing menopausal symptoms such as loss of your period, hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings and problems sleeping, please consult your medical professional to determine if you are into early menopause and nothing else.

If the diagnosis is menopause, relax. You have the advantage of going through this bumpy stage while you still have some physical strength and, by the time you’ve reached the blissful years of Post Menopause Zest, you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy it.

Ovarian failure before the age of 40 normally affects only around one woman in a hundred. Research in Australia and the UK has shown that premature ovarian failure in twins was between three and five times greater when measured at age 40 than in the general population.

There’s been a lot of studies in twins and mother-daughter pairs and they all come up with a strong heritable component for menopausal age. No one has worked out the actual genetic factors responsible, but you can make a fair guess on the arrival of your own menopause with that of your mother. Did she start late? More likely than not, you will too.

As for the twins, premature ovarian failure is on the cards. Identical twins in particular were more synchronised for POF than for later menopause.

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