Women who are or have been underweight face an increased raised risk of experiencing an early menopause, researchers report today.
Early menopause is defined as the cessation of ovarian function before the age of 45, and affects about 10% of women. It has been linked to an increased rate of cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, osteoporosis and early death, as well as having implications for women who want more children.
The risk is partly genetic, but adiposity may play a role as it is linked with reproductive function. This association was investigated by Dr Kathleen Szegda, of the University of Massachusetts, USA, and colleagues. They examined figures from 78,759 premenopausal women aged 25 to 42, taking part in the Nurses’ Health Study II who were followed from 1989 to 2011.
Results showed that body mass index was linked with risk for early menopause – compared to women with a healthy BMI, underweight women had a 30% higher rate of early menopause.
Writing in today’s (26 October) Human Reproduction, the authors say: "In one of the few studies to prospectively examine a variety of adiposity measures and risk for early menopause, our findings that women who were underweight in early or mid-adulthood had elevated risk for early menopause can assist in efforts to better understand the aetiology of early menopause.
“Additional prospective research is needed to understand how low adiposity may physiologically impact timing of menopause."
Dr Szegda added: "Our findings suggest that women who are underweight in early or mid-adulthood may be at increased risk for early menopause. Underweight women may want to consider discussing the potential implications of these findings with their doctors."
Szegda, K. L. et al. Adult adiposity and risk of early menopause. Human Reproduction 26 October 2017; doi:10.1093/humrep/dex304 [abstract]
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