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Delayed periods in menopause

 
, medical expert
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
 
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Delayed menstruation during menopause is one of the first symptoms that makes a woman think that the time has come to age. Menopause is a physiological process of changes in the female reproductive system, during which involutionary processes occur in the body. These changes occur primarily with the reproductive system, but since it is continuously connected with the normal functioning of other organs, these changes affect the entire body. Therefore, delayed menstruation is only one of the few symptoms of this condition.

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Causes menopause

Hormonal disorders are primarily of a central nature. There is an involution of the highest regulatory center - the hypothalamus, which is characterized by a gradual decrease in the sensitivity of the hypothalamus to the influence of estrogens, which disrupts its regulatory function according to the principle of feedback regulation. Insufficient stimulation of the pituitary gland contributes to a violation of the secretion of follicle-stimulating and luteinizing hormones, which leads to an anovulatory cycle without the release of an egg. All this contributes to the fact that the most specific changes occur in the ovaries in the form of atresia of follicles, destruction of membranes, death of oocytes and preservation of only the stroma, which contributes to a decrease in the amount of secreting estrogen. This, in turn, disrupts the feedback with the hypothalamus, which further increases the changes. As a consequence of all these processes - there is no sufficient concentration of hormones and their alternation for the onset of the next normal menstruation, and menstruation does not occur - this is the period of menopause. It is precisely these changes in hormonal regulation that are the direct cause of delayed periods during menopause.

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Symptoms menopause

The first symptoms of menopause in women appear at the age of over 50 years, then this is considered a normal age period for the beginning of the involution of the reproductive system. Often the appearance of menopause in women is identified with aging, which negatively affects their psychological state and worsens the clinical course.

First delay of menstruation during menopause

The first signs of menopause in women may not necessarily be the absence of menstruation, since this process is gradual. The first symptoms are often vasomotor and emotional-psychological in nature and are non-specific. Often, emotional instability processes are expressed, which occurs due to a violation of the regulation of excitation and inhibition processes in the central nervous system. A woman is concerned about irritability, mood swings, depression, decreased sexual desire, insomnia, fatigue. Also, vegetative manifestations can often be attacks of sweating, fever, headache and palpitations. These are, as a rule, the first clinical signs of the onset of premenopause, and later - changes in the ovaries and uterus develop and menopause occurs with a gradual cessation of menstruation. Sometimes vegetative manifestations are not expressed, and menopause first manifests itself immediately with a violation of the cycle. These features depend on the individuality of the female body and are difficult to predict. Menstruation becomes irregular: most often one month is normal, and two or three months are absent. These are typical signs of the onset of menopause. But there may be other options: heavy menstruation once, then absent for six months, or scanty discharge every month with a gradual decrease in their amount.

Thus, the first delay of menstruation during menopause can be both in the premenopause period and can be the only symptom, and it can also be later, when symptoms develop from other organs and systems. Therefore, you should pay attention to any possible manifestations from the cardiovascular, bone tissue.

Delayed menstruation during menopause is one of the pathognomonic symptoms of the onset of menopause in women. This may be the first clinical sign of this condition, and may also appear later, when there are already changes in other organs. If there is a delay in menstruation, then it is necessary to consult a doctor to correct this condition, since hormone replacement therapy allows you to avoid complications of this period.

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Stages

Under normal conditions, menopause comes gradually and has several stages in its development:

  1. premenopause – the period from 45 years to the onset of menopause;
  2. menopause – the period of the last menstruation, average age is about fifty years;
  3. postmenopause – the period from the last menstruation until the end of a woman’s life.

All these periods are characterized by consistent changes in the body, so that all organs and systems can adapt to such changes. Each period has its own characteristics, and the reasons for delayed menstruation during menopause are continuously associated with the hormonal imbalance that occurs during this.

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