A recent study presented at the 26th European Congress of Endocrinology in Sweden suggests that women who undergo menopause before the age of 40 face an elevated risk of premature mortality. However, the study indicates that hormone replacement therapy (HRT), a common treatment for menopausal symptoms, can mitigate this risk.
While menopause typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55 for most women, approximately 1 percent experience menopause before the age of 40, a condition known as premature menopause or premature ovarian insufficiency (POI). Premature menopause is associated with an increased likelihood of developing long-term health issues, such as heart disease.
The underlying reasons for this phenomenon remain largely unclear but can stem from spontaneous onset, certain medical interventions like chemotherapy, or surgical removal of the ovaries.
Researchers from the University of Oulu in Finland analyzed data from 5,817 women diagnosed with spontaneous or surgical premature ovarian insufficiency in Finland between 1988 and 2017, comparing them with 22,859 women without POI. The findings indicated that spontaneous premature ovarian insufficiency more than doubled the risk of mortality from any cause or heart disease and increased the risk of cancer-related mortality more than fourfold.
Conversely, the study found that the risk of all-cause and cancer mortality was reduced by half in women who underwent HRT treatment for more than six months. Additionally, women who experienced early menopause due to surgery did not exhibit any heightened mortality risk.
Hilla Haapakoski, a doctoral student at the University of Oulu in Finland, emphasized the importance of prioritizing the health of women with spontaneous premature ovarian insufficiency to mitigate excess mortality. Further research is needed to better understand the underlying mechanisms and optimize management strategies for women facing premature menopause.
