Early menopause triples risk of ill health

EARLY menopause triples the chance of women having multiple chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes in their 60s, a study suggests.

Most women will go through the menopause after 50, but research suggests that those who experience the change at 40 or younger should be screened for ill health because they are at a far greater risk.

Researchers at the University of Queensland followed more than 5,000 women from 1996 until 2016. About 71 per cent of those who experienced the menopause prematurely developed multiple chronic illnesses by the age of 60, compared with just 55 per cent of women who experienced it at 50 or 51.

After the researchers discounted all other factors that could be responsible, such as obesity, they calculated that early menopause had an even bigger effect, raising the risk threefold.

Prof Gita Mishra, senior author of the paper, said: “Our findings suggest that health professionals should consider providing comprehensive screening and assessment of risk factors when treating women who experience natural premature menopause.”

Just 2.3 per cent of women experienced premature menopause. The researchers speculated that genetic differences which trigger early menopause may be linked to chronic conditions. They also said the decline in oestrogen production may speed up ageing, triggering diseases earlier.

The research was published in the journal Human Reproduction.