May 24, 2005 – The time of year when women are born would influence the age of menopause. Women born in the spring are said to reach menopause faster than those born in the fall.
Following a study of 3,000 Italian women1, researchers found that those born in October reached menopause, on average, at 50 years and 3 months, and those born in March, at 48 years and 9 months. A difference of 18 months between women whose birthday is in the fall and those whose birthday is in the spring. This correlation persisted even after taking into account factors known to influence the onset of menopause, such as age at onset of puberty, weight and smoking.
This is the first time that a study has linked the month of birth to the onset of menopause. However, this link remains unexplained. Dr Angelo Cagnacci, who led the study from the University of Modena in Italy, believes that seasonal factors fetuses are exposed to, such as sunshine or outside temperature, can impact adulthood. Girls are born with all their eggs in reserve, and release one each month, as soon as they reach puberty. The environment before birth could influence the number of eggs, so the length of reproductive life, he speculates. Thus, according to Dr Cagnacci, women born in the fall may have more eggs.
Besides the surprise that these results can cause, they have no real impact on the lives of women. On the other hand, this knowledge feeds the curiosity of scientists who are trying to better understand how menopause starts.
Marie-Michèle Mantha – PasseportSanté.net
According to Reuters Health and BBC News
1. Cagnacci A, Pansini FS, Bacchi-Modena A, et al. Season of birth influences the timing of menopause. Hum Reprod. 2005 May 12.
