Women who enter menopause before the age of 40 are more likely to die young, finds a study.The study presented at the 26th European Congress of Endocrinology in Sweden, however, showed that the risk can be lowered with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) — the most common treatment.
While most women experience menopause between the ages of 45 and 55, about 1 per cent experience menopause before the age of 40 years, known as premature menopause or premature ovarian insufficiency (POI). It increases the risk of long-term health problems such as heart disease.
The reason behind this remains largely unknown but can be brought on spontaneously or by some medical treatments such as chemotherapy or by surgically removing the ovaries.