Early menstruation is linked to increased menopausal symptoms. Here’s why

Every girl goes through a lot of changes throughout her life. These changes can be physical or mental. When it comes to the physical aspect, one of the major changes that occurs in a female’s body is when a girl hits puberty or reaches adolescence.

We all remember our first period, don’t we? Surely, we all have our different memories of our first period. Typically, a girl experiences her first period when she is around 12 or 13 years of age. But, did you get your period before the age of 12? 

Well, many women do! There are so many cases of women who get their first period anywhere between the age of 10-12. If that’s the case ladies, it is likely that you are going to suffer more issues in your menopausal stage. At least that’s what a study indicates!

A study published in “BJOG: an International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology“, led by the School of Public Health, University of Queensland (UQ), found that women who experienced early menstruation are at greater risk of frequent hot flushes and night sweats compared to women who experienced their first period aged 14 years old. 

Here’s everything that this study has revealed

This study analysed data from more than 18,000 middle-aged women across the UK, USA, and Australia, as part of the Life-course Approach to reproductive health and Chronic disease Events (InterLACE) international collaboration. The group of women was compared to women who had their first period at 14 or older. 

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This study revealed that not just women who experienced early menstruation but those who are overweight or obese in their midlife are also at two times greater risk of experiencing increased menopause symptoms. 

Early menstruation previously had been linked to adverse health conditions later in life, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

While you can’t control the age at which you get your periods, what you can do as an adult is to take better care of your health to make sure menopause is a relatively easy affair for you.