Early menopause in your twenties

On January 7, M.D. Nguyen Thi Thanh Tam, Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said that Ms. Phuong went to the doctor late when she missed her period for a year. Her uterus was small and thin “like a rice leaf” so she could not get pregnant naturally.

Menopause is the time when a woman’s reproductive phase ends, she no longer ovulates, and produces hormones. According to Dr. Tam, the group of women with menopause in their twenties like Phuong only accounts for 0.1%. The average age of menopause for women in developed countries is 51-52 years old, in Vietnam it is 48-50 years old. Menopause before age 40 is called early menopause, before age 38 is very early and is often associated with premature ovarian failure.

Another case is Ms. Thuy, 39 years old. For the past half year, she has had menstrual irregularities in the form of less and less frequent periods, changes in mood, sadness and happiness, erratic irritability, sometimes loss of concentration at work, night sweats, and confusion. sleep disorder. She took medicine to treat menstrual disorders for three months without improvement, so she went to Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City for a check-up. Based on clinical symptoms and medical history, Dr. Tam suspected that she had early menopause.

Endocrine test results determined decreased estrogen, no progesterone due to lack of ovulation, FSH blood test index increased to the menopausal threshold (≥ 40 mUI/mL). Doctor Tam assessed that Ms. Thuy had menopausal symptoms but was still menstruating. If not treated, she will experience early menopause. “Many people complimented me on being as young as a 30-year-old woman, so I was surprised when the doctor diagnosed me as being about to go through menopause,” Ms. Thuy said.

Early menopause can be due to many reasons such as genetic genes, chromosomal mutations, Turner syndrome or diseases such as cancer treatment or oophorectomy. Unscientific lifestyle, overweight, obesity, smoking… also contribute to the condition.

It is estimated that each year Vietnam has about 13 million women in premenopausal and postmenopausal age (45-69 years old). Most women are psychologically shocked and have difficulty accepting the results. Without proper care, women experience problems such as depression, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, blood pressure, insomnia, weight gain, infertility…

To treat Ms. Thuy, doctor Thanh Tam uses hormone replacement therapy. This is a method of using synthetic estrogen and progesterone to replace declining hormone levels and reverse menopausal symptoms. After three months of treatment, 70% of the unpleasant symptoms of menopause improved, she reduced hair loss, menstruation reappeared, she felt happier, and slept better.

Phuong had to ask for eggs from her sister to give birth through assisted reproduction. The doctor prescribed hormone therapy for Ms. Phuong to help her uterus develop. When the uterus increased in size and the mucosa responded well to medication, Phuong had an embryo transfer at the end of 2024.

Women with early menopause or menopause who experience unpleasant symptoms due to hormonal deficiencies need additional treatment. Young women experiencing irregular menstruation should see a gynecologist early. Women aged 30-40 with symptoms of hot flashes, skin and hair changes, weight gain, mood changes, menstrual disorders, and sleep disorders should also go to the hospital for check-up.