Researchers report that women who enter menopause before age 40 are twice as likely to die from heart disease and four times as likely to die from cancer.
Experts say hormone replacement therapy should be considered among treatments for early menopause as well as surgically induced menopause.
Two studies of more than 100,000 women have revealed a suite of genes that help to regulate when a person enters menopause and thus the length of their reproductive span. Some of the genes could also influence the risk of cancer.
Women who enter menopause before the age of 40 are more likely to die at a younger age, according to research from Finland presented at the 26th European Congress of Endocrinology.
Experts point out, however, that this increased mortality risk also affects women beyond those who’ve experienced premature menopause.
“This research confirms what we already know and believe in the gynecology profession,” explained Dr. Vanessa Soviero, an OB/GYN from the Katz Institute of Women’s Health at Northwell Health who was not involved in the study.
Soviero stressed the need for deeper research on women’s health — a historically underserved area. While only 1% of women experience premature menopause, also known as primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), Soviero said this research applies to other women, too.
“It isn’t just women who experience early menopause,” Soviero told Medical News Today. “Women who’ve had their ovaries removed at a young age also face these risks.”
A woman may need one or both ovaries removed for reasons that include endometriosis and non-cancerous growths (cysts) as well as those women who have had preventive surgery because they have a significantly higher risk of breast cancer or ovarian cancer.
