Menopause comes early

Increasingly, women below 30 years are hit by it. Docs blame it on pollution and our urban lifestyle

Menopause comes early

Increasingly, women below 30 years are hit by it. Docs blame it on pollution and our urban lifestyle

"Now, women below 30 come to us with menopausal problems. Some are in their early twenties and not even married. I would never see such cases. Now, I see at least three to four such cases every month," said Dr Padmini Prasad, gynaecologist and sexologist.

Dr Prasad blames our changing lifestyle and pollution for this problem. "The cases are mostly among women belonging to the middle and upper classes. Women from the lower strata of society and those in rural areas do not have these complaints. It may be because of the pollution in cities or the changing lifestyle in urban areas," she said.

Awareness

Some doctors also feel that incidents of early menopause are coming to light because of increased awareness. ]
"I see at least three or four cases of early menopause and these are women below 30 years. It could be increasing awareness about menopause which makes women come forward and seek our help. They may not have come out before. This is why we are seeing the problem now," said Dr Kamini Rao, founder of Bangalore Invitro Fertilisation Centre.

In the genes

The condition may also be genetically predisposed. "It also depends on our genes. So far, it cannot be cured.

Change in lifestyle may lead to obesity and thyroid problems which indirectly influence menopause," said Dr Sulochana Gunasheela, founder of Gunasheela IVF Centre.

Dr Rao is hopeful of a cure soon. "So far, there is no cure and there are no precautions. I may not say the same thing next year. A lot of work is being done in this regard," she said.

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