1» Smoking can result in early onset of the menopause
Smoking hits fast forward on the menopause remote, expediting onset by up to seven years. A recent study found that smokers who chugged 20 or more a day encountered menopause at an average age of 46, while in non-smoking healthy women it was 53. The explanation? Cancer sticks toy with oestrogen.
2» Oh this? It’s fake
There’s a slight chance apparent change of life is fake – and reversible. Two rare conditions that mimic menopause can, in some cases, spontaneously reverse, according to the Jean Hailes Foundation. Primary ovarian insufficiency and premature ovarian failure, which cause ovaries to stop producing hormones and call time on mentrual periods, occasionally right themselves. The not-so-good news is that most cases of the conditions that affect around one per cent of women under 40 are permanent.
3» You may be able to predict it
Sure, it’s a head-flip being in the dark about quite when the end is nigh, but the real issue is not knowing when associated conditions such as bone loss – which typically visits a year before your final period – set in.
But a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism reveals a method of predicting your menopausal fate two years ahead. University of California researchers found that levels of hormones estradiol and follicle stimulating hormone, which triggers production of eggs, can predict the onset of ‘the change’s’ ancillary symptoms a year before they strike.
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