Science / Medicine : Menopause, Longevity Linked

Women who experienced natural menopause before age 45 tended to die sooner than other women in a new study, suggesting that early menopause may indicate that the body is aging faster than normal.

Women whose menopause had occurred before age 40 showed a 95% higher risk of dying during the six years of the study than did women of similar ages whose menopause came at ages 50 to 54, researchers said.

For women who had reported menopause at ages 40 to 44, the risk was 39% higher.

Results suggest that age at natural menopause may be an indicator of the body’s aging rate and general health, researchers from the University of Minnesota and Loma Linda University say in the June issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

Menopause, the time when a woman permanently stops menstruating, generally occurs around age 50.

Previous studies have suggested that loss of estrogen production at menopause puts women at increased risk of heart disease. But the new study found that replacing estrogen did not increase longevity, and that menopause caused by surgery did not show the link to death that natural menopause did.