While menopause usually occurs around age 50, it can happen earlier due to heredity, health conditions, exposure to radiation or chemotherapeutic agents, surgical removal of the ovaries, or any surgery which compromises blood flow to the ovaries. Surgical menopause begins immediately, with no perimenopause. It can be caused by emotional strain, chemotherapy, grief or illness. There are women who sail through menopause. Contrary to what you may have heard, they do exist.
Scientific evidence proves it.
The effects of menopause aren't limited to the reproductive organs. Ovaries are much more than egg production factories. They're also glands, secreting the wildly popular hormones estrogen and progesterone. During the perimenopausal years, changing hormone levels can cause erratic, irregular periods, some much heavier than normal. But the symptoms are different for everyone.