Females usually experience menopause during the age bracket of 48-55 years. The term ‘late menopause’ is used in the case of those females who do not experience their menopause even beyond the age of 55. Menopause is a phase or stage in the life of a female when her menstrual periods stop permanently.
Even though there is nothing serious about late menopause but there could be many reasons behind this and it is important to understand them. The following are the most common possible causes for late menopause:
- There are two primary hormones in a female which are estrogen and progesterone. The body starts to prepare for the menopause in advance by reducing the production of these female hormones. But in case of late menopause, the body tends to act pretty late and continues to maintain high levels of hormones.
- Obesity is another common reason for late menopause. Studies have shown that most women who experience a delay in menopause are overweight. This is so because in the case of overweight or obese women, there is a certain hormonal shift in the cycle and this shift triggers the production of more hormones. Thus the body tends to maintain higher levels of estrogen and progesterone and is unable to lower the amount, which thus results in the delay.
- Another reason for a delay in menopause is the occurrence of uterine fibroid. This is the most common yet harmless tumor but its occurrence depends upon the amount of estrogen and progesterone. The growth of these uterine fibroid can be restricted due to the high levels of hormones and hence what our body does is that it keeps producing more hormones to reduce chances of tumor growth. Thus high levels in hormones tends to delay menopause.
- Another common cause of late menopause is the situation of multiple pregnancies. Any woman who has had more than 3 or 4 pregnancies is more at a risk of delayed menopause as compared to others.
- Genetics can also play a big role in determining when a female will have her menopause. If a female’s mother or grandmother experience a delay in menopause, then chances are that she too might experience the same problem.
It is important to remember that late menopause is not a disease or illness but is actually quite a normal thing. It is an indication that the woman’s ovaries are working fine and secretion of hormones is just perfect. But late menopause can have both positive and negative risks. Those who have early menopause are infact more at a risk of negative medical issues like risk of heart diseases.
Having late menopause means higher levels of estrogen and progesterone and these two hormones can reduce the risk of being prone to certain conditions like cervical cancer, breast cancer and certain heart diseases. Thus one must enjoy the natural process without worrying about it too much. However, a visit to the doctor could prove useful.
