Premature and Early Menopause

The average age at which women typically experience menopause is between 45 and 55 years old.

You will hear people speak about the median menopause age, or the usual age of menopause, as being 51 years old.

However, menopause can happen when women are younger.

Premature menopause and early menopause are often linked to increased long term health risks and consequences.

So, it is important to understand:

  • what premature menopause and early menopause is
  • what some of the potential causes and risk factors of premature and early menopause may be, and
  • what the potential health impacts of premature and early menopause may be.

Early menopause and premature menopause

Premature menopause (otherwise called premature ovarian insufficiency/POI): When menopause happens before a woman is 40 years old.1

Early menopause: When menopause happens when a woman is between the ages of 40 – 44 years old (or before a woman is 45 years old).

My Menopause SA

Evidence-based menopause information for South African women.

Page last reviewed: 1 March 2026
Next review due: 1 March 2027

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Footnotes

1 According to the International Menopause Society’s recommendations published in late 2025, premature menopause (POI) should be suspected in women younger than age 40 years, with irregular menstrual periods/cycles or amenorrhea (no menstrual periods) for more than 4 months, and confirmed FSH values >25 IU/L (Panay et al, 2025). According to SASOG Clinical Guidelines on menopause hormone therapy, an FSH value of >30 IU/L in young women experiencing menopausal symptoms (after a hysterectomy or without menstrual changes) is diagnosed as ovarian failure. ↩

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