The average age of American women at the time of menopause is 51 years, but the normal range is anywhere from the mid-forties to the late fifties. If you smoke cigarettes, you may experience menopause one or two years earlier than average. Women who have never had children go through menopause earlier than women who have borne several. Research indicates that each child you bear will delay the onset of menopause by about five months.
White women go through menopause earlier than black women.
A hysterectomy or tubal ligation can bring on menopause several years earlier than would normally be expected. If you had your first child after 40, menopause will be later than average. Medically-induced menopause , brought on by the removal of both ovaries or medical procedures that interfer with ovarian function, can occur at any age. Every woman is different. Some women experience only mild symptoms or none at all.