Yahoo! Health: Could a Few Missed Periods Mean Premature Menopause?

Yahoo! Health recently interviewed Jessica Chan, MD, associate professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Cedars-Sinai, about whether missing a few periods is benign or a sign of premature menopause, defined as having no periods for 12 months before age 40.

While The Menopause Society says about 3% of women experience premature menopause, Chan, who is also a maternal-fetal medicine specialist, said she suspects the rate may be higher.

"The loss of your period is often shrouded in stigma and there are likely women suffering in silence who are never diagnosed,” Chan said.

In fact, Chan said, women in their 30s who miss periods typically seek care because they are having difficulty becoming pregnant and never thought their missed periods mattered.

"I see a lot of women who come in because they want to get pregnant and can't figure out why their cycle isn't cooperating," Chan said.

Chan told Yahoo! Health that menstruation cycles should be consistent when women are in their 20s and 30s, and missing more than one or two periods should prompt women to seek medical care and ask if they are in premature menopause.

Chan strongly encourages women who are diagnosed with premature menopause to pursue treatment options that counter the effects of low estrogen, a hormone that protects the bones and heart.

"It's almost like your body is 10 years older than it really is,” Chan said.

Read the complete article from Yahoo! Health.