William Faloon

Menopause can be defined as the point when the ovaries do not adequately produce hormones, and a woman stops having menstrual periods for 12 months consecutively.

Early-onset menopause (between 40-45 years) is associated with an increase in risk of cardiovascular disease, psychiatric disorders, osteoporosis, and overall mortality.^1-4

One study observed women who had their last period before age 45 compared to those who entered menopause at age 45 or older. Earlier menopause was associated with about a 50% higher risk of coronary heart disease.⁵

A separate study observed significant increases in cardiovascular disease and overall mortality correlated with more severe menopausal miseries. Serious health risks were also associated with the severity of specific menopausal disorders.⁶

As it relates to longevity, another observational study that assessed correlation found that life expectancy was 2.0 years longer in women with menopause after age 55 compared to those with menopause prior to age 40.² 

Scientists are working to develop methods to delay reproductive aging, thus enabling older women to conceive children, postpone or avoid menopausal miseries, and possibly live longer. 

In the meantime, those facing adverse effects of hormone depletion have options to alleviate menopausal miseries.

Although this has not yet been demonstrated in randomized clinical trials, perhaps judicious replacement of sex hormones might attenuate some of the possible lifespan-shortening impact associated with early-onset and/or severe menopause.

Page 30 describes plant-derived estrogens that boosted estradiol blood levels and reduced menopausal symptoms in a placebo-controlled clinical trial.

The article on page 50 of this month’s issue reveals startling details about the impact of early menopause reported in the published scientific literature.

For longer life,

William Faloon, Co-Founder, Life Extension®

References

1. Shuster LT, Rhodes DJ, Gostout BS, et al. Premature menopause or early menopause: long-term health consequences. Maturitas. 2010 Feb;65(2):161-6.
2. Ossewaarde ME, Bots ML, Verbeek ALM, et al. Age at Menopause, Cause-Specific Mortality and Total Life Expectancy. Epidemiology. 2005;16(4).
3. Asllanaj E, Bano A, Glisic M, et al. Age at natural menopause and life expectancy with and without type 2 diabetes. Menopause. 2019 Apr;26(4):387-94.
4. Mishra SR, Chung HF, Waller M, et al. Association Between Reproductive Life Span and Incident Nonfatal Cardiovascular Disease: A Pooled Analysis of Individual Patient Data From 12 Studies. JAMA Cardiol. 2020 Dec 1;5(12):1410-8.
5. Muka T, Oliver-Williams C, Kunutsor S, et al. Association of Age at Onset of Menopause and Time Since Onset of Menopause With Cardiovascular Outcomes, Intermediate Vascular Traits, and All-Cause Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Cardiol. 2016 Oct 1;1(7):767-76.
6. Nudy M, Aragaki AK, Jiang X, et al. The severity of individual menopausal symptoms, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Cohort. Menopause. 2022 Dec 1;29(12):1365-74.