Unfortunately for women, menopause never makes an announcement as to when to expect its arrival and just like puberty can strike at many different ages. However, most commonly women will begin the stage of menopause between the ages of 40 and 60 with an average age of menopause being 51 years old. This age range is dependant on a variety of factors, such as genetics and will vary by the women's medical history.
Just like puberty, there is no on and off switch that begins the process and there is no way of knowing how long it will take before perimenopause is complete. The term menopause medically means the point in time at which a woman has had her last period. With the average age of menopause being 51, it can take years going through the symptoms associated with it until they become post-menopausal.
Many consider the menopause process as being the opposite of puberty, during which time the female produces the hormones necessary for the reproductive stage of their life. At some unknown point the hormone productivity and activity will being to diminish and, while they may have indications as to a prospective average age of menopause, it will not become evident until it arrives.
Confusion Exists Over Length Of Symptoms
While nearly every adult female understands what they have to look forward to once they enter the perimenopause stage, some of their symptoms, while similar to menopause, could be caused by another health problem. For example, a person in their mid-30's suffering from insomnia may believe they are entering the average age of menopause when in reality it may be unrelated pain keeping them awake at night.
Similarly, depression and moodiness may be caused by a chemical imbalance and not caused by hormone imbalances usually occurring at the average age of menopause. However, understanding the average age of menopause can help a woman identify the symptoms if they are not within that range can check with their doctor to determine if something is wrong if they are simply beginning the process early.
For a fortunate few, there may be very few symptoms that they are nearing average age of menopause or the symptoms they do suffer are not as intense as those described by their friends and female family members. As some doctors explain, each person will know their average age of menopause when they have stopped having their monthly periods.
