Can Stress Cause Early Menopause? Signs & Causes of Premature Menopause
In this blog we’ll learn about menopause and its role in women’s aging, how to tell if you’re in menopause, signs and causes of premature menopause, and techniques to address it with a holistic approach.
What is menopause?
Menopause is a natural season in a woman’s life. It’s a time when the ovaries gradually slow down and stop producing the hormones estrogen and progesterone. These two hormones play a key role in regulating your cycle and keeping many body systems in balance. As their levels begin to decline, ovulation becomes less regular, eventually leading to the end of monthly periods.
Technically, menopause is defined as the point when you've gone 12 full months without a period. But what many women don’t realize is that the transition begins long before that milestone. This in-between phase is called perimenopause, and it can last up to 10, sometimes even 12 to 15 years. It’s during perimenopause that many women begin to notice changes like hot flashes, mood swings, sleep disruptions, brain fog, weight gain, or increased stress sensitivity.
What’s happening under the surface is more than just a shift in reproductive hormones. Your entire system is adjusting. Your body is adjusting not only to lower hormone levels, but also changes in how it handles inflammation, stress, and more.
And here's something we want every woman to hear loud and clear: menopause is not a one-size-fits-all experience. Your symptoms are unique to you, and they’re not just a normal part of getting older to be brushed aside. They’re important clues from your body that something is out of balance and needs attention.
Why does menopause happen?
Menopause is a natural biological process that happens as the ovaries gradually slow down their production of two key hormones: estrogen and progesterone. These hormones do much more than regulate the menstrual cycle. They influence everything from mood and metabolism to sleep, energy, and how your body stores fat.
The first major hormonal shift that often occurs during perimenopause (the transition leading up to menopause) is a decline in progesterone. This happens because ovulation becomes less consistent. Sometimes, you may still have a regular period, but your body isn’t actually ovulating. When that happens, your luteal phase (the second half of your cycle) shortens, and progesterone production drops.
A decline in progesterone can lead to a range of symptoms like increased anxiety, mood changes, poor sleep, and changes in your period (like heavier or more painful cycles).
Not long after, estrogen levels also begin to fluctuate. And unlike progesterone, which generally drops steadily, estrogen can swing wildly. It might spike higher than usual or drop dramatically. This hormonal rollercoaster often triggers symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, irritability, and unpredictable cycles.
While all of this is part of a natural transition, it doesn’t mean you have to just put up with it. If you’re feeling wiped out, not like yourself, or overwhelmed by the changes in your body, it’s a sign that your system might need more support.
Can stress cause menopause?
This is a really common question, especially for women who start experiencing menopausal symptoms during or after a particularly stressful time in life. So let’s be clear, stress can absolutely speed up the transition and make it feel a lot more intense.
Menopause is a natural phase when the ovaries begin to slow down their production of key sex hormones like estrogen and progesterone. But there’s more to the story. The adrenal glands, which also produce hormones such as DHEA and cortisol, are meant to take on some of the hormone production once the ovaries reduce their role.
Picture it like a hormone tree. At the top is pregnenolone, which serves as the starting point for hormone production. From there, one hormone creates another. This is important to understand for menopause because when your body is under chronic stress, it prioritizes cortisol production, which pulls resources away from the production of estrogen, delaying ovulation.
If cortisol levels stay elevated for too long, or if your adrenal glands become depleted, your body can no longer produce enough estrogen, progesterone, or testosterone. As a result, symptoms like hot flashes, insomnia, mood changes, and weight gain can show up earlier and hit harder. This is becoming more common, especially in younger women and stressed-out mothers. Today’s cases are rarely simple. Chronic stress, toxin exposure, and even hidden infections can all contribute to a more complicated hormonal picture.
Common Signs of Menopause
One of the most important things to know about menopause is that it doesn’t show up the same way for everyone. The signs can vary widely, and they often sneak up on you, especially during perimenopause, the years leading up to your final period.
Some of the most common symptoms include:
Hot flashes and night sweats
Sleep disturbances or insomnia
Mood swings, anxiety, or irritability
Brain fog or difficulty recalling words
Weight gain, especially around the hips or belly
Low libido
Dry skin and thinning hair
Joint pain
You might also notice changes in your menstrual cycle with no patterns. Your periods might come more often (less than 25 days apart), or they might become heavier, longer, or more painful. Breast tenderness, increased cramping, worsening PMS, or even headaches can start showing up as part of this shift.
These symptoms can feel confusing, especially if you aren’t expecting them. Many women find themselves saying, “I just don’t feel like myself anymore.” Your body may not bounce back the way it used to. That’s why tuning into these early signs matters. It gives you the chance to support your body before things feel overwhelming.
Are there symptoms that often get overlooked? Yes, and this happens all the time. You might start feeling more anxious or emotionally off and assume it's just stress, burnout, or a new mental health concern.
Irregular cycles can also be brushed off as a generic hormone imbalance or managed with hormonal birth control, when in reality, you may be entering perimenopause. These approaches might mask the symptoms temporarily but don’t always support your body through this specific life transition.
That’s why we encourage women to pause and ask: What is my body trying to tell me? When you start noticing shifts—whether physical, emotional, or both—it’s worth exploring what’s going on hormonally and giving your body the care it needs for this next season of life.
Understanding Early Menopause
Premature menopause, also known as premature ovarian insufficiency, occurs when a woman stops menstruating and her ovaries significantly reduce hormone production before the age of 40. While genetics can play a role, there are many other possible contributors, including autoimmune conditions, past infections like Epstein-Barr, chronic stress (like mothers with extremely busy lifestyles, or having a family member dying), women who have a history of intense periods and hormonal fluctuations, medical treatments such as chemotherapy, and environmental toxins. Sometimes, there’s no obvious cause, which can make the experience even more confusing and emotionally difficult.
What makes premature menopause especially important to address is the impact of losing estrogen earlier than expected. Estrogen helps protect your bones, brain, heart, and metabolism. When it drops too soon, it can increase your risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, and cognitive decline. A holistic approach looks beyond just your age and symptoms. We investigate hormone levels, stress patterns, inflammation, nutrient deficiencies, and more to understand what might be contributing. The goal is to create a plan that supports your body through the transition and helps you feel more like yourself again.
Is early menopause genetic?
Genetics can play a role in the timing of menopause. If your mother or grandmother went through menopause at a younger age, there’s a higher chance you could too. But genetics aren’t destiny. In holistic health, we always look at the whole picture. Your lifestyle, stress levels, toxin exposures, nutrient status, history of infections, or underlying autoimmune patterns can all contribute to when and how your menopause experience begins.
The beauty of a root-cause approach is this: even if something runs in your family, it doesn't mean you’re stuck with it. When we investigate all the contributing factors, we can often slow the process, ease the symptoms, and support your body through the transition in a way that feels empowered and not overwhelming.
Does PCOS cause early menopause?
While PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) and early menopause are two distinct conditions, there can be some overlap in how they show up and sometimes in how they're misunderstood. PCOS is typically marked by irregular or absent ovulation, elevated androgens like testosterone, and often symptoms like acne, hair growth, and insulin resistance. Because ovulation is inconsistent, women with PCOS may go months without a period, which can mimic what looks like early menopause. However, in most cases, it's actually a different kind of hormone imbalance, not a sign that the ovaries are shutting down.
That said, in some cases, the long-term stress that PCOS places on the body (especially from chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, or unmanaged stress) can contribute to a condition called premature ovarian insufficiency, where the ovaries begin to lose function earlier than expected. So while PCOS doesn’t directly cause early menopause, it can create conditions in the body that increase the risk of it.
Natural Support for Stress
Managing stress naturally is one of the most powerful ways to support your body, especially during the transition into perimenopause or menopause. While stress doesn’t cause menopause, it can absolutely make the experience more intense, leading to worsened symptoms like hot flashes, insomnia, mood swings, and fatigue. We have three different forms of stressors that the body has to manage: mental-emotional-spiritual, biochemical (ex. gut infections, toxins), and biomechanical (ex. body aches and injuries). That’s why it’s important to get curious about not only the emotional stress you might be carrying but also the hidden physical stressors on your body. These could include blood sugar imbalances, gut infections, inflammation, toxin exposure, or nutrient deficiencies. All of those can quietly strain your system and disrupt your hormonal balance.
Supporting your body through this transition starts with the basics: nourishing your body with balanced meals, especially those rich in protein, healthy fats, and vegetables to stabilize blood sugar and support hormone production. Restorative practices like breathwork, gentle movement, time in nature, and slowing down your schedule can help calm the nervous system and lower cortisol levels. Sometimes, managing stress isn’t about adding more to your to-do list. It’s about doing less. Saying no, delegating, or simplifying your commitments can be just as healing as any supplement. Speaking of which, targeted nutrients like magnesium, B vitamins, or adaptogenic herbs like ashwagandha can also offer real support, but they work best as part of a personalized plan. The key is creating an environment where your body feels safe to rest and repair. That’s when real improvement happens.
Menopause is a natural transition, but early menopause can be avoided. You don’t have to suffer through it or feel like a stranger in your own body. Whether you're just starting to notice subtle shifts or you’re deep in the throes of hot flashes, brain fog, or disrupted sleep, your symptoms are your body’s way of asking for support, not something you have to simply accept. With a root-cause approach, we look beyond the surface to understand what's really driving your experience, whether it's hormone fluctuations, stress, nutrient deficiencies, or something deeper.
If you're feeling overwhelmed or unsure where to start, you're not alone. You don’t have to navigate this season by yourself. We’re here to listen, support, and help you create a plan that’s personalized to your body and your goals. Book a free consultation today and take the first step toward feeling balanced, clear, and empowered in this new phase of life.