Is menopause normal at the age of 40?

Being menopausal at 40 years old is not normal and may be the cause of various problems, according to Obstetrician Gynecologist Dr. Raul Quillamor.

In an episode of “Pinoy MD,” Dr. Quillamor said that menopause usually starts at the age of 48 up to 50, with the latter as the average.

Women who start menopause at 40 or earlier are encountering “early menopause” which may be a result of health problems like metabolic ones.

“They may have a complication in their thyroid gland or they had cancer and underwent chemotherapy,” he said in Filipino.

“They may have also took medicine that affected their ovary’s functions,” he added.

Dr. Quillamor said that early menopause may also be because they have genetic problems like early ovarian failure.

In a previous interview, he clarified that menopause is when a woman’s been free of her period for one year already.

Perimenopause, meanwhile, is a period in a woman’s life wherein she’s approaching menopause. Its symptoms include dizziness, morning sickness and irritability. — Franchesca Viernes/LA, GMA News