‘Health risks’ after early menopause

WOMEN WHO go through premature menopause are up to three times as likely to suffer multiple chronic health problems later in life, researchers have claimed.

They are more likely to develop at least two medical problems in their 60s such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, according to a study of more than 5,000 women in Australia.

This is compared to women who went through the menopause at 50 or 51 – the latter of which is the average age for women in the UK to stop having periods.

Around one in 100 women experience this before the age of 40, according to the NHS.

It is already known premature menopause is associated with individual health problems later in life.

The loss of ovarian hormones affects the ageing process in cells and organs, and increases the risk of a range of chronic conditions. But this is believed to be the first study to look at the link between time of menopause and later developing two or more conditions.

The researchers, from the University of Queensland, Brisbane, analysed data on 5,107 women from 1996, when they were between 45 and 50 years old, to 2016. They filled in questionnaires every three years over the two decades.

Of the group, 2.3 per cent experienced premature menopause (119 women) and 55 per cent (2,814 women) developed two or more conditions, also known as multimorbidity.

The 11 conditions which researchers asked the group about were diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, osteoporosis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, depression, anxiety and breast cancer.