It’s understandable for some women to want to bulldoze over menopause as soon as possible—welcoming it into life early. With hot flashes, vaginal dryness and irritability being some of the “fun” symptoms that encompass menopause, who wouldn’t want to get it over with?
However, this new study is suggesting that the longer it takes, the better it is.
The Study
Nearly nine years and 3,969 women later, researchers have discovered that women who go through menopause early (before the age of 40) were almost four times as likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those women who went through late menopause (55 years or older).
After studying medical records and questionnaires of the 45-and-older women, about 350 of those observed had developed type 2 diabetes within the nine-year time frame over which the study took place.
The Facts
Specifically, when women’s periods ended within the ages of 40 and 44, their chances of developing type 2 diabetes increased by 2.4 times. Menopause from ages of 45 to 55 indicated a 60 percent higher chance as compared to menopause at ages above 56. Basically, for every year you are delayed in experiencing menopause, the risk of type 2 diabetes decreases by four percent.
What Is the Connection?
Mechanisms need to be further studied in order to accurately describe the interrelation between early menopause and diabetes. However, it is currently thought that it could be linked to the declining levels of estrogen that surround menopause.
In addition, weight gain, increased visceral fat and an less efficient metabolism are further adverse effects of menopause that could have an affect on type 2 diabetes occurrence.
Don’t strive for early menopause just to get it over with. The later it occurs the better. For now just enjoy your periods and your years without vaginal dryness, painful intercourse and hot flashes. Menopause will happen to you eventually so there is no need to want to speed up the process.
Sources:
http://www.webmd.com/menopause/news/20170719/early-menopause-may-be-tied-to-type-2-diabetes
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/883078
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