Early Menopause?

I'm 32 years old and am experiencing symptoms similar to that of menopause (hot flashes, night sweats, cold flashes, chills, bouts of rapid heart beat, irritability, trouble sleeping through the night, irregular periods (shorter, lighter periods), loss of libido, depression, dizziness, light-headedness, episodes of loss of balance, and tingling in the extremities).

I just had some lab work done and am concerned about the results...

total testosterone = 65 pg/mL (lab range was "something" to 45 for normal)
estradiol = 41 pg/mL (lab range was 30-400 for normal)

My estrogen and DHEA levels were normal.  Could it be possible that I could be having symptoms of early menopause at age 32?

[Machelle Seibel, MD]

Although the mean age of menopause in the United States is 51, about 1% of women go through menopause before age 40. I have some patients in their early 20s going through menopause.

Ask your doctor to check your blood levels for FSH. That is one of the best  tests for menopause and it goes up if the ovaries begin to stop working. You might also have  your doctor check your thyroid levels and your fasting blood sugar level.  If the FSH is normal, ask to see a neurologist to see if there is another explanation, especially for the loss of balance, dizziness and tingling.
Machelle M. Seibel, MD