A new study has shown that the age at which women get their first period, followed with the number of children they have, may influence when they enter menopause.
According to the study, women who got their first period before age of 12 and had no children were 5 times more likely to experience premature menopause, and twice as likely to experience early menopause, than the women who got their first period at age of 12 or later, and who had 2 or more children.
Premature menopause in women is attained if they stop menstruating before age 40. They're considered to enter early menopause if they stop menstruating between ages 40 and 44.
The researchers found out that the median age of menopause was 50. Among all women in the study, 2 percent experienced premature menopause and 7.6 percent experienced early menopause. But among the women who got their first period before age 12 and who also had no children, 5.2 percent experienced premature menopause and 9.9 percent experienced early menopause, according to a statement about the study.
When analysing their data, the researchers tried to point out some factors that could influence women's age at menopause, which included their education level, marital status, smoking status, body mass index (BMI) and year of birth.
The researchers wrote in their findings that they hope that the study will help shape clinical guidelines for reproductive health. For instance, doctors may decide to prepare women with no children, who had their first period before age 12, for the possibility of early menopause, to help them make informed decisions about their reproductive health.