How smokers 'face being hit by early menopause'
- One theory suggests smoking might impact oestrogen production
- Some researchers believe certain components found in cigarettes might kill eggs
Risk: According to experts female smokers may hit the menopause a year earlier
Women who smoke face going through the menopause at least a year earlier than non-smokers, research suggests.
A study showed smokers had an earlier menopause, between the ages of 43 and 50, compared with women who never smoked, who hit it between 46 and 51, on average.
It adds to evidence suggesting that smokers typically reach the menopause a year earlier than women who don’t smoke.
For the latest research, data was pooled from several previous studies that included about 6,000 women in the U.S, Poland, Turkey and Iran.
In all but two of the studies analysed, smokers were younger when they hit menopause.
An earlier menopause is associated with a higher risk of developing other health problems, including osteoporosis and heart conditions.
Volodymyr Dvornyk, from the University of Hong Kong, author of the study published in the journal Menopause, said the findings were further evidence that smoking is linked with early menopause.
Dr Dvornyk and colleagues also analysed five other studies that grouped women into ‘early’ and ‘late’ menopause using a cut-off age of 50 or 51.
Out of more than 43,000 women in that analysis, women who smoked were 43 per cent more likely than non-smokers to have early menopause.
Jennie Kline, from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in New York, said smoking may have an effect on how women’s bodies handle oestrogen.
Certain components of cigarette smoke may also destroy eggs in the ovaries, bringing forward the menopause, Dr Kline said.
And millions of women are ‘putting up’ with debilitating symptoms caused by the menopause when they don’t have to suffer, claims experts.
Up to one in four older women complains of night sweats and hot flushes, causing real problems for women, their partners and families, says a new report.
In the UK, the average age for a woman to reach the menopause is 52, with hot flushes being a symptom (posed by a model)
But Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) can abolish 90 per cent of symptoms within three months of starting the treatment.
The International Menopause Society, which carried out a review of existing research evidence to mark World Menopause Day today, called on women to be ‘less accepting’ of their symptoms which can last at least four years and seek treatment.
It said HRT also prevents the bone thinning disease osteoporosis and safety fears have been exaggerated.
Dr Tobie de Villiers, president of the International Menopause Society, said ‘Too often the distressing symptoms associated with the menopause are not taken seriously enough.
‘A woman can’t just ‘grin and bear it’ – if only it were that simple. These are troubling symptoms caused by the menopause, which lead to physical and psychological problems in everyday life.
‘Women need to realise they don’t need to put up with this.’
The new report urges doctors to treat women as individuals and not put an arbitrary limit on HRT use, even though current guidelines recommend younger women going through the menopause take it for five years at most.
In the UK an estimated one million women are taking HRT, down from two million at the height of its popularity nine years ago when health scares about heart disease and breast cancer caused a mass exodus.
Sometimes known as the 'change of life' and is marked by the ending of menstruation
It signals the end of egg production (ovulation) which occurs as a result of
falling levels of the female sex hormone oestrogen
In the UK, the average age for a woman to reach the menopause is 52.
Many women experience both physical and emotional symptoms, such as hot flushes, night sweats and irritability
Only one in 10 women seek medical advice when they go through the menopause
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can treat several of the most common symptoms such as hot flushes. However, studies have found that it could increase the risk of developing breast cancer.
The IMS report says on average 25 per
cent of women experience vasomotor symptoms such as hot flushes and
night sweats, as well as depression.
Hot flushes are caused by dilation of the blood vessels and increased flow of blood to the head and neck, causing reddening of the skin and sweating.
Night sweats are hot flushes that take place at bedtime, disrupting sleep and causing fatigue and stress.
On average the symptoms last four years, with some women being troubled for less time while others have long-lasting, significant problems.
‘A woman may enter a ‘vicious cycle’ where the symptoms lead to problems
in coping with her everyday life, which in turn leads to problems
coping with the symptoms’ says the report.
It says HRT shows the best results in treating these symptoms, with up
to 90 per cent abolished within three months of starting treatment.
It acknowledges that not all women can take HRT, and they could be offered alternatives including SSRI drugs and psychological treatment such as cognitive behavioural therapy.
But the report warns against using untested remedies such as ‘bioidentical hormones’. It says acupuncture has mixed results while relaxation therapies and yoga have not shown significant benefits.
A worldwide health scare was sparked in 2002 by the US Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study which claimed women using HRT were at higher risk of breast cancer, heart disease and strokes.
But later analyses of the study, and different research, has challenged those findings.
Three years ago the IMS concluded that research evidence shows HRT is
'generally safe' for healthy women going through the menopause and
greatly improves quality of life.
Dr John Stevenson, consultant metabolic physician at the Royal Brompton Hospital London and chairman of Women Health Concern charity, said HRT should be the first-line treatment for osteoporosis because of its efficacy and low cost.
He said initial safety concerns from preliminary findings of the WHI study has been shown to be ‘largely incorrect’.
He said ‘There is no increased risk of coronary heart disease and the increased risk of stroke is significant only in women taking it for more than 10 years.
‘There is no significant increase in breast cancer in new users of combined HRT and a persistent reduction in in women using oestrogen-alone HRT.
‘The absolute risks of HRT are in fact very small and there should be no restriction in the duration of its use’ he added.
Patrice McKenney, chief executive of the International Osteoporosis
Foundation, said ‘Postmenopausal women are also the highest risk group
‘We urge women who are experiencing hot flushes, night sweats or other
menopausal symptoms to discuss the problem with their doctors. There are
effective treatments available.’