Induced Menopause is Not the End

Many women see induced menopause as the end of their life. The thought of not being able to have children is often seen as a death sentence to a younger woman who is forced to go through menopause. They are not worried about menopause relief, menopausal symptoms, pain, or perimenopause. These women are only concerned about not being able to bare children.

Women who have undergone a surgical procedure to have their ovaries removed are forced into an early symptom menopause. They do not go through premenopausal reactions or have any other sign of premenopause; instead, women who have an induction of menopause are thrust into the world of hot flashes, night sweats, and emotions. An induced hot flash is just not the same as a hot flash at the age of 55

Menopause that is caused by a medical condition such as certain drug or radiation therapies is hard for a young woman to come to terms with. Many times the illness related to the drug therapy, or radiation, came on quickly and without warning. Within a matter of weeks or even days, their doctor may have brought up the discussion of inducing menopause.

Removing the ovaries can also induce menopause. For women who have had a surgically induced type of menopause, fertility ends immediately. Levels of estrogen and testosterone will decline much more rapidly than natural menopause. For women who have to go through this type of menopause, the symptoms can be exaggerated and extremely hard to deal with.

All the normal symptoms of menopause are present, like:

• Hot Flashes

• Night Sweats

• Irritability

• Mood Swings

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Formication… the feeling of creepy crawlies all over your body!

None of these menopausal symptoms are fun to go through during natural menopause. When a woman is thrust into menopause, these symptoms can be completely unbearable. The extreme nature of a forced menopause can include one symptom that is exaggerated or it can include all the symptoms being exaggerated at the same time.

On a more positive note…women who go through a forced menopause are likely to suffer their symptoms for a much shorter time period than a woman who goes through natural menopause. Natural menopause can last several years but a forced menopause will last only a fraction of that time.

Menopause is a time of great change throughout a woman's body and her life. For women who go through natural menopause, they have time to prepare for the changes that are about to take place. For a woman who undergoes a forced early menopause, the body and life changes are fast and often unexpected. This expedited menopause can leave the woman with dramatically increased menopause symptoms, which can be very difficult to handle. The plus side is that a forced menopause will not last long.

So for any woman, who has to go through an abrupt menopause, remember that it is not the end and life will go on!