Can You Delay Menopause? Here’s What You Should Know

What Is Menopause and What Happens to Your Body?

Menopause is a stage in a woman’s life that marks an end to her reproductive years. This transitional milestone is divided into three phases:

1. Perimenopause:

A phase leading to menopause that lasts around 4 to 10 years, where the hormone levels begin to fluctuate, causing irregular menstruation and occasional hot flashes. 

2. Menopause:

A woman attains menopause when she has gone 12 consecutive months without periods. This marks the end of menstruation. Technically, menopause is a single day in a woman’s life. The days before it is called perimenopause, and the days following it are called postmenopause.

3. Postmenopause:

Postmenopause refers to the years following menopause, where women go through menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, mood swings and disturbed sleep patterns. Low oestrogen levels during this time lead to an increased risk of osteoporosis and heart disease.

Factors That Influence the Timing of Menopause

Though most women enter menopause in their late 40s or early 50s, it can vary from one individual to another. What causes this difference in the timing of menopause? 

Here are some factors that influence the onset of menopause:

1. Genetics:

Family history plays a significant role in determining the time of onset of menopause. If your mother or sister experienced early menopause, there is a high chance that you will, too.

2. Age at Menarche:

A study shows that early menarche (early onset of menstruation before the age of 11) is a risk factor for early menopause.

3. Number of Pregnancies:

 Women with no childbirths have higher chances for early menopause.

4. Body Weight:

Fat tissue in your body produces oestrogen. High levels of oestrogen in blood delay the onset of menstruation. Therefore, underweight women have an increased risk of experiencing early menopause compared to obese women.

5. Health Conditions:

Certain autoimmune conditions (where your body mistakenly attacks itself) affecting your ovaries, leading to early ovarian failure, can increase the risk for early menopause. Long-standing health conditions like diabetes can cause oxidative stress affecting the ovaries, causing early onset of menopause.

6. Stress:

High stress can increase cortisol levels (stress hormone), causing hormonal fluctuations and early menopause.

7. Use of Oral Contraceptives:

The use of oral contraceptives can increase your chances of early menopause. A study showed that each year of high-dose oral contraceptive use prepones the onset of menopause by about 1.2 months.

8. Lifestyle Factors:

a) Diet - Foods poor in nutrition, highly processed, and high-carbohydrate diets can advance the onset of menopause.

b) Alcohol - Excessive alcohol consumption disrupts hormones and causes oxidative stress, causing early menopause.

c) Smoking - Women who smoke experience menopause early because tobacco damages the ovarian cells and reduces oestrogen levels.

d) Physical Activity - Regular exercise delays menopause by balancing your hormones, reducing stress and maintaining body weight.

8. Medical Treatments:

a) Medical treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy can advance menopause.

b) Surgical interventions like hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) can reduce blood flow to the ovaries and cause early menopause.

c) Bilateral oophorectomy (surgical removal of both ovaries) can induce immediate menopause.

How to Delay Menopause Naturally

Women prefer to delay menopause and enjoy a longer period of hormonal balance and fertility. Here are some natural approaches to delaying menopause:

1. Hormonal Birth Control:

• Hormonal birth control as a method to delay menopause does not actually “delay” it; it masks the symptoms of menopause, so you don’t know if you have reached it. Hormonal birth control replaces oestrogen and progesterone that declines naturally during menopause, thereby preventing menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, mood swings and vaginal dryness.

2. Healthy Lifestyle:

• Eating a healthy and balanced diet, exercising regularly, limiting alcohol intake and avoiding smoking can delay the onset of menopause.

3. Stress Management:

• Practise stress management techniques like yoga, mindfulness and meditation. Lowering stress can reduce cortisol levels and balance your hormones.

4. Adequate Sleep:

• Getting at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night promotes overall well-being, improves your mood and balances your hormones.

How to Delay Menopause by Medical Methods

Apart from natural methods to delay menopause, medical methods are also very effective. Let us explore the medical methods to delay menopause and how they work.

1. Freezing the Ovarian Tissue:

• Freezing of ovarian tissue is done in women at risk of early menopause or damage to the ovaries as a result of certain treatments. When the preserved tissue is reimplanted, it begins to produce oestrogen and progesterone and delays menopause.

2. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT):

• Low levels of oestrogen and progesterone, caused by the stoppage of ovarian functions as menopause approaches, are replaced by HRT. When these hormone levels return to normal, it may delay menopause.

3. Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators (SERMs):

• These medicines bind to the oestrogen receptors in your body to mimic the effects of oestrogen, hence reducing the effects and potentially delaying menopause.

4. Supplements and Herbal Remedies:

• Herbs rich in phytoestrogens (plant-based chemicals that mimic oestrogen), like red clover, soy, flaxseeds, and black cohosh, can help delay menopausal symptoms.

What Are the Risks of Delaying Menopause?

We have already discussed natural methods and medical treatments to delay menopause. Though these methods provide some benefits, like an improved quality of life, they come with many risks. 

Regular medical supervision is important if you’re undergoing treatments to delay menopause. Let us look at how it can affect you:

1. Heart Disease:

• Prolonged exposure to hormones used in delaying menopause along with ageing can increase your risk of heart-related problems.

2. Stroke:

• Treatments to delay menopause increase the chances of blood clots and stroke.

3. Weight Gain:

• Hormonal treatments for delaying menopause, which involve high doses of the hormone oestrogen, lead to weight gain.

4. Cancers:

• Delaying menopause through hormonal treatments may increase the risk of hormone-sensitive cancers like uterine, ovarian, or breast cancers.

5. Fertility Concerns:

• Even if treatments prove useful in delaying menopause, the ovaries may not release eggs, or sometimes, the eggs that are released may not be of good quality. This means that delaying menopause doesn’t necessarily extend your fertility.

6. Mental Health Issues:

• Delaying menopause can cause prolonged hormonal fluctuations in your body, causing anxiety, depression, low mood and sleep disturbances.

Lifestyle Choices That Can Improve Menopausal Health

No matter the natural methods and treatments we take to delay menopause, we will all have to face it eventually. But menopause can be a beautiful phase of your life with some simple lifestyle changes that help you feel healthier and more comfortable.

Here are some lifestyle choices that can improve menopausal health:

• Exercise regularly to strengthen your muscles and bones, maintain body weight and improve mood.
• Take calcium and vitamin D-rich foods or supplements to prevent low bone density during menopause.
• Include a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich foods and healthy fats to support your health.
• Including phytoestrogen-rich foods (soy, flaxseeds, legumes, sesame seeds) can help balance your hormones and reduce menopausal symptoms.
• Manage stress through meditation, yoga, mindfulness or by engaging in your favourite hobbies.
• Stay hydrated by drinking lots of water.
• Limiting alcohol consumption and smoking can reduce the risk of weak bones and heart diseases.

What Happens if Menopause Is Delayed Too Long?

Menopause is a natural stage of life every woman experiences. Delaying menopause for a few years may be beneficial to improve the quality of life, but delaying it too much can increase the risk of certain health conditions due to prolonged oestrogen exposure. Women who experience menopause after the age of 55 have a higher risk for:

• Ovarian cancer
• Endometrial cancer
• Breast cancer
• Fibroids
• Spotting or bleeding 
• Mood swings
• Heart diseases
• Hormonal imbalances

Women who have delayed menopause with the aim of increasing fertility may face issues with the egg quality, making it difficult to conceive, and complications of late pregnancies like gestational diabetes (high blood sugar diagnosed first during pregnancy), high blood pressure and preterm birth.

Wrapping Up

Can you delay menopause? Yes, but it does not mean that menopause can be delayed indefinitely or it can be prevented forever. Natural approaches, medical methods and lifestyle changes can help manage the symptoms of menopause, improve fertility and delay the appearance of some menopausal changes. If you are planning to delay menopause, especially using medical treatments, be aware of the risks it can bring along with the benefits.

Menopause is a biological process and is a part of the natural progression of life. Every woman’s experience of menopause is unique. Consult a healthcare provider about what your needs are and make informed decisions that are best for your well-being.

For Ayurvedic tips, herbal remedies and therapeutic yoga recommendations to manage any discomfort or symptoms related to menopause, book an appointment with the experts at Nirva right away.