Poverty May Raise Risk of Early Menopause

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who have experienced economic hardship at some point in their lives tend to have an earlier menopause than their more affluent peers, new research suggests.

The report found that women who lived through times of economic hardship as children and adults entered the time preceding menopause--known as perimenopause--more than 1 year earlier than women who had never faced financial difficulties.

While it is not clear how economic hardship contributes to early menopause, previous research has shown that stressful life events and exposure to cigarette smoke and lead may play a role. Regardless, the findings have important public health implications for women, as early menopause may be a risk factor for heart disease, osteoporosis and other disorders.

"Our findings suggest that it may not be sufficient to measure socioeconomic position at only one point in time, whether it be in utero, childhood, or adulthood; rather, measures taken at each and all of these times may matter," Lauren Wise from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, and colleagues conclude.

Their study is published in the November issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

The research team analyzed the financial histories and menstrual cycles of more than 600 women between 36 and 45 years old, when perimenopause typically begins. Perimenopause is a phase marked by the beginnings of the hormonal, biological and clinical changes of menopause. Women may experience mid-cycle spotting, changes in blood flow or variations in the length of their cycle.

The study participants were interviewed every 6 months for the next 3 years about their menstrual cycles, use of hormones, and reproductive surgeries such as hysterectomy.

Women who endured economic hardship at any time in their lives were also more likely to be smokers, have a history of oral contraceptive use, report problems in their marriages, have a higher body mass index (BMI) and have a diagnosis of depression.

Half of women who reported economic distress in both childhood and adulthood had entered perimenopause by 44.7 years of age compared with 45.9 years of age in women reporting no economic distress.

The findings add to a growing body of evidence that socioeconomic status can influence a person's health. Other studies, for instance, have shown that lower status is associated with heart disease and death, but the relationship between a woman's social class and when she begins menopause is less clear.

Further research should investigate whether there is a critical period of time "during which exposure to stress and environmental toxins, including exposure to first hand and second hand smoke, have the greatest impact," the researchers conclude.

SOURCE: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2002;56:851-860.

Reference Source 89

For more information on how to prevent other diseases, use
PreventDisease.com's "Quick Prevention Resources".