It can be caused by stress, chemotherapy, grief, illness, bulimia, anemia, or excessive exercise. A woman may have one, some, or none of these signs. Whatever the cause or circumstance, the conditions women experience before and after menopause are very real and sometimes very serious. Everybody is different. It starts about two years earlier for women who smoke than for women who don't.
Women reach menopause at different times.
The average age for menopause is 51. If menopause is reached naturally or surgically before the age of 40, it is called early menopause . This often intensifies the conditions associated with menopause and may lead to major physical and emotional changes, including depression. For most women it will last two or three years, though for some it lasts as long as 10 or 12 years. It was no big deal for me.