A test that can predict the age a woman will enter menopause, years in advance, has been developed by doctors.
Researchers produced the test as part of a study into factors affecting menopause and believe it is the first to successfully predict the risk of early menopause, suggesting it could help identify women who are likely to become infertile at a young age.
A team led by Clemens Tempfer at the Medical University of Vienna gathered lifestyle information and medical histories from 1,345 women and tested them for a number of minor genetic mutations believed to be linked to early menopause.
By feeding all the information into a database, the doctors could work out which factors were statistically most likely to cause early menopause.
While the median age for menopause is about 52, the natural spread of ages is broad, ranging from early 40s to 60s. Most doctors regard menopause at younger than 40 as premature.
"We can't predict to the precise year, and this isn't a test you're going to be able to do at home any time soon, because it is so mathematical, but it works and there is no reason why it couldn't be used in future," Professor Tempfer said.
"It could help career women with their family planning, because often in developed countries women are in their 30s by the time they have secured a good career and it might be useful information to know early if they are at risk of going through the menopause before they reach 40," he said.
The doctors found the risk of early menopause depended on a long list of lifestyle factors, ranging from smoking habits to body weight. Other factors such as the age of the woman's first period, the number of children and miscarriages and history of breast cancer also contributed.
Using a "gene chip" designed to detect specific genetic mutations, the team found that variations in two genes also triggered an earlier menopause.
One mutation, known as the Factor 5 Leiden mutation, makes blood clot more quickly than it should, leading to an increased chance of clots blocking the normal blood flow in vessels.
Tempfer believes women who have the mutation are likely to suffer a series of small clots that restricts blood flow to their ovaries. Women with the mutation typically went through menopause a year or two earlier than those without.
Another mutation in a gene called Apo E2 led to women entering menopause up to four years earlier than those without, according to the study, published in the journal Fertility and Sterility.
Previous studies have shown early menopause to be between 30 percent and 60 percent inherited, so family history is often a good guide to age of menopause.
"Each of the factors we looked at had a small effect, but together they have a significant impact," Tempfer said.
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