Women in the US are entering menopause at younger ages

Written by Autumn Spredemann on April 19, 2024. Posted in Current News

As fertility rates in the United States continue to plummet, more women are seeing the onset of perimenopause and menopause ahead of schedule

Evidence shows factors like exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and certain medical treatments are helping drive this phenomenon, but the average age of women having children also plays a part.

However, fertility rates in women from ages 35 to 39 increased by roughly 67 percent during the same period, according to a report from the U.S. Census Bureau.

This is happening amid a decline in general U.S. fertility rates. Forty three states reported their lowest fertility rate in three decades in 2020.

In the United States, the median age for new mothers went from 27 in 1990 to 30 in 2019, according to the Census Bureau. However, the decision to wait to start a family comes at a price.

They’re also 30 percent more likely to begin menopause between ages 40 and 44.

In 2011, the average age for a woman to begin perimenopause—the up to 10-year-long estrogen drop that marks a decline in fertility—was 45 years old.

Early menopause is defined as when a woman experiences this change before the age of 45. Premature menopause is when it happens before the age of 40. While 5 percent of women go through this life change naturally, there are known factors that can expedite the end of a woman’s fertile chapter in life.

“Women experiencing early menopause report a range of challenges, including sudden changes in their hormonal balance, which can lead to increased risks of osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and mental health issues like anxiety and depression,” Dr. Erik Natkin told The Epoch Times.

As the medical director of the Denver-based R2 Medical Clinic, Dr. Natkin works closely with bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, which can be used as a therapy to ease the symptoms of both perimenopause and menopause.

Through his work and research, he’s gathered a behind-the-scenes perspective on the “increasing prevalence and impact of early menopause among women.”

He said a common theme emerges in terms of symptoms that impact a woman’s quality of life, including severe hot flushes, sleep disturbances, mood swings, and a marked decrease in libido.

“Even just having to deal with it is exhausting,” Mrs. Kaiser told The Epoch Times.

Before perimenopause symptoms started in her mid-to-late 30s, she struggled with menstrual challenges like irregular and painful periods. She described her normal cycle cramps as “the kind where you want to just roll up and die.”

But perimenopause threw another wrench into her daily life. She said brain fog became an issue that quickly got “worse and worse. You just can’t focus.”

Mrs. Kaiser has also dealt with a roller coaster of weight gain during the transition into perimenopause, especially around the time of her menstrual cycle. Yet her weight gain and loss in the early perimenopause phase has turned into just “packing on weight” now that she’s skipping menstrual cycles and shifting toward menopause.

Additionally, Mrs. Kaiser said she has intense mood swings and sleep disturbances since the onset of perimenopause. She said she can usually fall asleep, but can’t stay asleep. “I’ll be awake in the middle of the night, sometimes for hours.”

Overall, it’s taken a toll on her mental and physical health. Part of that is because she tries hard to keep her “hormonal hell” from affecting her family.

“You get so caught up in trying to manage these symptoms so they don’t impact everyone else, you feel like you don’t have time to give anything to anyone else,” she said.

Mrs. Kaiser largely blames this on the use of birth control, which marked the beginning of her hormone troubles.

“Going on birth control was one of the worst things I could do for my body. As soon as I started it, my body was never able to readjust,” she said.

Starting in her mid 20s, Mrs. Kaiser went on birth control pills to help regulate her menstrual cycle. After getting married and having children, she began using an IUD at age 35.

Since beginning the use of hormone-altering birth control, she’s gained a total of 60 pounds that no amount of diet or exercise has been able to change. The only reason she stuck with birth control as long as she did was because doctors kept telling her it wasn’t the contraceptives.

“I was told it wasn’t the contraception. I was told it must’ve been my diet. I was told it was because I had a sedentary desk job. Because studies show the contraceptive weight gain was a myth, so it had to be a slew of other factors under my control,” Mrs. Kaiser said.

Yet a 2023 study revealed that hormone-based contraceptives actually disrupt hormone balance and facilitate artificial states of anovulation.

Anovulation is a type of hormone imbalance and also a common source of infertility in women. Further, research shows that premenstrual disorders—like what Mrs. Kaiser dealt with before going on the pill in her 20s—are associated with an increased risk of early menopause.

When Mrs. Kaiser stopped using the IUD at age 35, she began experiencing perimenopause symptoms almost immediately. Now, at 43, she’s had consecutive missed menstrual cycles, signaling her approach to menopause. She’s also experiencing new symptoms like severe joint pain and hot flashes.

Yana Bassovitch, an integrated health consultant at Time 2 Pause, which helps perimenopausal and menopausal women manage their symptoms, weight loss, and wellness, said she’s also observed in her practice an uptick in the number of women experiencing early menopause.

“Early menopause is indeed a critical topic that affects a significant portion of women, altering their lives in profound ways,” Ms. Bassovitch told The Epoch Times.

“Many of my clients have reported significant life changes, including alterations in their family planning, career adjustments, and sometimes, a reevaluation of their personal identities,” she said, adding that these life disruptions are not only physical but “deeply emotional and psychological, affecting their day-to-day living and long-term plans.”

Insights from her clients showed the majority realized they were entering menopause due to unexpected changes in their menstrual cycles accompanied by typical symptoms like hot flashes, mood swings, and sleep disturbances.

“This diagnosis often led to feelings of confusion, loss, and frustration, significantly impacting their life plans and sense of self,” Ms. Bassovitch said.

Within that same group, 2 out of 10 said menopause symptoms affected their work performance daily or multiple times per day.

In 2015, a study established a link between 15 different chemicals and early menopause in women. Moreover, women who’ve been exposed to the EDCs on the list were six times more likely to be menopausal than non-exposed women.

However, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency admits that a certain quantity of PCBs are exempt from the ban. Called “inadvertent PCBs,” they’re found in everyday products like paints, inks, textiles, paper, cosmetics, leather, food, and food packaging.

“It’s clear that early menopause is a significant concern that affects a considerable number of women,” Dr. Natkin said. “The insights gained through my involvement in hormone therapy underscore the importance of recognizing, understanding, and effectively addressing the complexities of early menopause.”

Ms. Bassovitch agrees with this sentiment. “By shedding light on this issue, we can foster a better understanding and create more effective support systems for those going through it,” she said.

While Dr. Natkin is tackling the issue on the science end, Ms. Bassovitch is using a holistic approach that includes lifestyle modifications, nutritional counseling, stress management, and creating a community for women to share their experiences and strategies for coping with early menopause.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Kaiser continues her daily struggle with the transition from perimenopause to early menopause. When asked what aspect is her biggest frustration, she said it’s the lack of research and support for women grappling with these changes.

“My OB-GYN is great, but she’s still tied to insurance. It feels like when doctors are kind of hamstrung by insurance, they’re less likely to look at alternatives,” she said. A ”for profit health system,“ she said, has created ”less of an appetite for dealing with hormone issues.”

“It feels like the scientific community is really lacking when it comes to women’s health research.”

See more here theepochtimes

Editor’s note: yes you did read it right that Mrs Kaiser both started and stopped using an IUD at 35. Presumably one of those is a typo.

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