TRUE or FALSE

Early menopause

1 It’s when your periods stop before 45.

 True  False

2

The ovaries stop working.

 True  False

3

There are no symptoms.

 True  False

4

Cancer treatments can cause it.

 True  False

5

There are treatments.

 True  False

1 TRUE The natural age for menopause to occur is between the ages of 45 to 55. When it occurs before this age it is considered early menopause.

2 TRUE Another word for it is premature ovarian failure. It can happen naturally if a woman’s ovaries stop making normal levels of certain hormones, particularly oestrogen.

3 FALSE There are many different symptoms. The main one being infrequent or no periods. Other symptoms include; hot flushes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, difficulty sleeping, low mood, reduced sex drive and problems with memory and concentration.

4 TRUE Radiotherapy and chemotherapy can cause it temporarily or permanently. The risk of this is dependant on your age, the type of treatment received and where the radiotherapy is focused.

5 TRUE The most common treatments are the combined contraceptive pill and hormone replacement therapy.