Millennials, the word has been synonymous with youth, disruption and change for a while now. Sure, the Tik-Tok loving Gen Z has replaced the group as the youngest ones, but the word still conjures up images of youth in revolt.
But the oldest among us are nearing a phenomenon which resolutely signals the end of one’s salad days – Menopause. Strauss and Howe determined the millennial generation includes those born between 1982 and 2000, and according to reports the oldest millennials are already experiencing the first symptoms of menopause.
Menopause Vs Perimenopause
Perimenopause is the stage which precedes menopause. The average length of perimenopause is 4 years, but for some women this stage may last only a few months or continue for 10 years. It is characterised by a reduced number of periods, and other symptoms related to menopause like hot flushes, reduced libido, mood swings, etc. After perimenopause comes menopause. If you have not had a period in 12 months, you are in menopause.
Are millennial women experiencing early menopause?
A survey conducted by Amberen, an American pharma company and Wakefield Research surveyed 500 women in the United States. While most women in the U.S. experience menopause between the ages of 40 and 58, perimenopause symptoms can begin as many as eight years earlier. And many millennials are entering this stage of life, without realising that they are indeed nearing menopause. While the average age of menopause is 48 in India, if it occurs before the age of 40, it is termed as premature menopause.
Dr Surbhi Desai, resident gynecologist at Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai, says that millennial women indeed seem to be entering perimenopause earlier than our foremothers. Women in their late 30s are now starting perimenopause, says Dr Desai. She says that environmental and lifestyle factors which have made PCOD an epidemic among Indian women is one of the reasons for the early onset of perimenopause. One in every five Indian woman has the symptoms of PCOD, that is approximately 20 percent of the country’s female population.
“This was also the first generation that experienced an early onset of periods. Many millennial women got their periods at 10, instead of 13 or later. Early onset of puberty has also been linked to early menopause,” said Dr Desai.
Because we think of menopause as something that happens to “old women”, we do not see the symptoms or ignore them. If you have the symptoms of early onset menopause, you can reset the clock with hormone therapy and lifestyle changes. And go consult your doctor.
“A better diet, a less sedentary lifestyle, and supplements can all help to delay menopause,” says Dr Desai.
