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Women As Young As 29 Are Hitting Menopause In India: Report

Women As Young As 29 Are Hitting Menopause In India: Report
menopause - isolated word in vintage wood letterpress printing blocks stained by color inks
marekuliasz via Getty Images
menopause - isolated word in vintage wood letterpress printing blocks stained by color inks

An increasingly hectic lifestyle combined with changing food habits and other factors which increase stress is causing women in India to hit menopause as early as 29-years-of-age.

A recent survey conducted by The Institute for Social and Economic Change said that four precent of women experience menopause between 29 and 34-years-of-age, and this figure goes up to eight percent in the 35-to-39 age group, The Hindu reported today.

The average age of hitting menopause is 51 around the world.

Shobha Gupta, Medical Director and IVF specialist at Mother’s Lap IVF Centre, identified Premature Ovarian Failure (POF), a condition when the ovaries stop functioning normally before the age of 40, as a culprit. "POF is caused by changing food habits, work culture with increased stress are some of the reasons,” Gupta told The Hindu.

“A woman’s body is going through so many changes today because of the atmosphere and lifestyle requirements, which is why we have been seeing cases of premature ovary failure in young adults. It is better to plan a family on time, and if you have any medical issues then you should consult your doctor soon," she told the newspaper.

Doctors say that symptoms of early menopause are the same as natural menopause which includes periods, hot flashes, mood swings, crying spells and sleeplessness.

Anubha Singh, infertility expert from Shantah IVF Centre, told The Hindu that "lifestyle choices such as smoking, drinking, thyroid or auto-immune diseases, exposure to radiation like chemotherapy or radiotherapy, and poor nutrition can also cause premature menopause."

Note: An earlier version of this story carried additional remarks by Dr. Shobha Gupta and Dr. Anubha Singh which are available at The Hindu.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.