In some cases, the causes of early menopause are clear, but there are situations when you keep asking why did that happen, and have no idea which can be the cause.A common cause of premature ovarian failure can be an autoimmune disorder. When this happens, the body senses parts of itself as being intruders, so, antibodies will attack those parts. Antibodies may attack your own ovarian tissue, your endometrium, or one or more hormones that regulate ovulation. This can happen in the case of premature menopause, and if you have a family history of autoimmune disorders, it is a great possibility that this is the cause for your early menopause.

It was seen that defects on an X chromosome may cause some cases of hereditary premature menopause. This defect to an X chromosome, also called "fragile X syndrome" seems to interfere with the production of eggs. So, women who have this syndrome will have a lesser number of eggs in their ovaries, and this will lead to an earlier menopause.“Turner’s syndrome” appears when you are born without a second X chromosome, or without part of the chromosome. As a result, the ovaries will not develop properly, and some of these women will never have their periods at all. There are situations when premature menopause appears because some women have three X chromosomes, and this affects the ovarian development too.

Oophorectomy and total hysterectomy are causes of early menopause due to surgery. The patient experiences premature menopause after removal of both of the ovaries, -and this is called a bilateral oophorectomy- or removal of the uterus, both fallopian tubes, and both ovaries, operation called total hysterectomy. As a result of these operations, progesterone levels plunge, and menopause appears right away.Sometimes, as a result of a hysterectomy in which one or both ovaries are left intact, it happens that immediately after surgery or up to a few years later one or both ovaries will fail. This may happen because during a procedure like cyst removal, the ovary or ovaries are damaged.Tubal ligation can also be a cause that leads to premature menopause in some women.

It was seen that the doses of radiation or chemotherapy used to kill cancer can damage the ovaries as well, and there appears premature menopause. In some cases there appears temporary menopause, but even when the ovaries start working regularly again, there can appear infertility.Recently, doctors have begun to prescribe the drug named Tamoxifen as a preventative measure for women who have a high risk of breast cancer. Everyone focused on the positive aspects of this drug, but it is important to know that it has as a potential side effect the apparition of premature menopause.

If there is a family history of premature menopause, it is important to know that there is a great chance for daughters to go through menopause at about the same age their mothers did.If a pregnant woman will contract a viral infection, it is possible to affect the baby’s ovarian development, and when the baby is born, will have a lower number of eggs, which will result in premature menopause.

It is known that there are some diseases that can cause symptoms that overlap with those of menopause. Hyperthryoid can cause palpitations and sweats, and hypothyroid can cause hair loss, weight gain, moodiness, and amenorrhea. The reversal of symptoms can be obtained with proper diagnosis and treatment.A disease that is marked by overproduction of prolactin, hyperprolactinemia can lead to amennorhea, and it is known that one of the typical signs of this disease is galactorrhea.Usually, this disease is treated with drugs like Parlodel.Women with pitiuitary disorders often go through amennorhea, and they discover their periods have stopped. There may be necessary a scan to determine whether they have a tumor or lesion, which can be treated through surgery or medication.Skipping periods and a number of other symptoms, including excessive hair growth can be caused by the polycystic ovarian disease.We can mention some other causes of amennorhea, like excessive weight gain or weight loss, excessive exercise, use of certain drugs, recent use of birth control pills.Through blood tests or "progesterone challenge" test, the doctor will be able to determine the cause of the symptoms.