Most conversations about menopause assume you're in your fifties. But for a meaningful number of women it comes sooner, and arriving early brings its own particular weight, both medically and emotionally.
The terms, briefly. Menopause before age 45 is usually called early menopause. When it happens before 40, it's often termed premature ovarian insufficiency (POI), where the ovaries reduce their function earlier than expected. POI doesn't always mean periods stop forever and permanently; in some cases ovarian activity can come and go, which is part of what makes it confusing.
Why does it happen? Sometimes there's a clear reason: surgery to remove the ovaries, certain cancer treatments, some autoimmune or genetic conditions. Often, though, no specific cause is found, which can be frustrating when you're searching for answers.
The signs are the familiar menopausal ones, just earlier than expected: periods becoming irregular or stopping, hot flushes, sleep and mood changes, vaginal dryness. If you're under 45 and noticing these, it's worth a proper assessment, and here, unlike in typical perimenopause, blood tests do play a useful role in confirming what's going on.
Why getting support matters more, not less: oestrogen does a lot of protective work for bones and the heart. Losing it earlier means more years without that protection, so doctors often recommend hormone therapy (up to the usual age of menopause) specifically to safeguard long-term health, not only to ease symptoms. That's an important conversation to have.
And the emotional side deserves naming too. Early menopause can land alongside grief, especially where fertility hopes are affected, and it can feel lonely when peers aren't going through anything similar. That's a valid, heavy thing to carry, and support, medical and emotional, is something you deserve to seek out.
If your body seems to be running ahead of the timetable, please don't tough it out quietly. Early answers open up more options.
What age is considered early menopause?
Before 45 is usually called early menopause; before 40 is often termed premature ovarian insufficiency (POI).
Does early menopause need treatment?
Often yes — because losing oestrogen's protection earlier affects bone and heart health, doctors frequently recommend hormone therapy until around the usual age of menopause. It's an individual discussion.
Related reading: Surgical menopause · Protecting your bones · Take the free Hormone Quiz