Women often demand much of their bodies. Stress exists in many forms for an active, involved woman today. Women have demanding and stressful careers. Women have family responsibilities. The relationship with spouse or partner may not be best. Aging parents can add to burden. These and other responsibilities add up in toll they take on body, health and well-being of a woman.

And at same time, womans body may not be getting support it needs to function as it was designed. Obesity, lack of exercise, poor nutrition, excess caffeine and alcohol add to problem instead of helping body cope with what is demanded of it. This stressful lifestyle, coinciding with inadequate support given to body, contributes to experiencing many of early menopause symptoms.

Common first symptoms of menopause for women are:

• Irregular menstrual cycles • Light or heavy menstrual flow • Lumpy or tender breasts • Fibroid tumors • Endometriosis • Mood swings • Water retention and bloating • Sleep problems • "Foggy, fuzzy" thinking and memory lapses • Anxiety and depression • Inability to handle stress • PMS • Hot flashes and night sweats • Vaginal dryness • Weight gain

Then there are hormones, menstrual cycle and hormone production in body. In normal menstrual cycle and a healthy woman, estrogen is dominant hormone that is produced for first 10-12 days following previous menstrual flow. Ovulation then signals female body to produce progesterone, which happens for next 12 days or so. If there is no pregnancy, progesterone and estrogen levels will drop at around day 28, allowing menstruation to begin.