Smokers May Reach Menopause Earlier

Women who smoke tend to hit menopause a bit earlier than nonsmokers, a new research analysis finds. The study looked at 11 previous studies. They included about 6,000 women. On average, nonsmokers reached menopause between ages 46 and 51. In all but 2 of the studies, smokers hit menopause a bit earlier. The average age was 43 to 50. Researchers also looked at 5 other studies that included 43,000 women. They were grouped according to whether they had “early” or “late” menopause. The cutoff for “late” menopause was age 50 or 51. Women who smoked were 43% more likely to have early menopause. Early menopause has been linked with greater risk of several diseases, such as heart disease. But women with later menopause are thought to have a higher risk of breast cancer. The journal Menopause published the study online. Reuters Health news service wrote about it October 16.