Genetic link to age of menopause

A study published in the journal Human reproduction has shown that the age at which a woman reaches the menopause is largely genetically determined.

Dutch researchers undertook the project after noticing that more women were delaying childbirth until after the age of 30 - they wanted to see if this trend would have any noticeable effect on fertility levels. The team studied 243 non-twin sisters from 118 different families, 22 non-identical and 37 identical twins. The women were already involved in a breast cancer screening study in which they had had to give detailed information about their personal and familial health and their reproductive histories.

Dr Jan-Peter de Bruin, of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University Medical Centre in Utrecht, who led the research, said that the analysis of the data obtained showed that in non-twin sisters, the age at which menopause was reached was 85-87 per cent determined by genetic factors. In twin sisters it was 70-71 per cent. He said 'a woman with one or more first-degree relatives with a history of early menopause is liable to experience early menopause herself'. He also stated that the timing of the menopause is related to the ability to conceive in the years before it as fertility levels begin to decrease well before the menopause actually occurs. This would put some women at greater risk of being unable to conceive if they delayed having children. Dr de Bruin said 'if our hypothesis is correct, then it would be sensible for a woman to make herself aware of the age at which her female relatives have reached menopause'. He hopes that within five years his team will also isolate the specific genes responsible for early and late menopause, and from this a test could be devised to predict at what age a particular woman would have hers.