In India, there are many factors that can cause a premature or early menopause. India is experiencing a rise in the number of women who are going through menopause sooner than normal. Menopause occurring before the age of 40 or 45 can have serious health consequences, such as an increased risk for osteoporosis or heart disease. Understanding the causes will help to design better healthcare strategies for these women.
A study found that there are several risk factors for premature menopause and early menopause.
- Lower educational levels
- unemployment,
- High wealth
- Low household wealth
- Social categories are social groups that people belong to.
- Regular intake of fried foods
- alcohol use,
- tobacco consumption,
- Higher parity
- Early childbearing age, and
- smoking.
Women in Northern and Western India are also at greater risk. In India, rural women are more likely to experience premature menopause.
Further, there are indications that poverty is associated with premature menopause. This association needs to be investigated. Understanding these risk factors will help to reduce the incidence of premature menopause and early menopause.
The study: Analyzed the data from India’s 2019-2021 National Family Health Survey (NFHS). The study excluded women who were pregnant, nursing, or surgically menopausal, leaving over 500,000. Menopause was defined as not having a menstrual period for at least a year.
Assessing socioeconomic, lifestyle and health factors to determine their association with premature/early menopause.
Menopause symptoms that occur prematurely and early
Symptoms of premature and early menopause are varied. The Cleveland Clinic lists some common symptoms associated with premature and early menopause.
- Hot flashes are sudden, intense feelings of warmth all over the body.
- Night sweats
- Menstrual irregularities for several years before the last period
- Menstrual cycles that are longer or shorter, bleeding between periods or changes to vaginal flow
- Stress
- Extreme fatigue, weakness and muscle and joint pain
- Memory loss
- Headache,
- Sleeping unrefreshingly and other symptoms
Early menopause can cause symptoms and health issues similar to menopause. These include hot flashes or mood swings, as well as sleep disturbances.
Women who go through premature menopause or experience early menopause are at a higher risk of serious health issues, including heart disease and osteoporosis. This is due to the abrupt change in estrogen levels.
Menopause is characterized by a number of symptoms, including aches and pains and weight gain.
Key Findings
- 2.23 % of women between the ages of 15 and 39 experienced a premature menopause.
Early menopause affects 16.2% of women between 40 and 44 years old. - Higher risk: Rural residence, lower education, lower wealth, being employed, “other backward classes” (OBC) caste, Northern/Western India, consuming fried food/alcohol/tobacco, using unhygienic menstrual methods, early menarche (pre-12 years), having terminated a pregnancy.
- Less risk: Higher Education, Unemployment, Greater Wealth, Never Marrying.
Early menopause is on the rise, but premature menopause has been declining over time.
Conclusions
The study indicates a link between nutrition and early/premature onset of menopause. The effects of educational, economic and residential disadvantages can compound one another.
- Strengths Large representative sample, detailed data and clear exclusion criteria.
- Limitations Self reported data, cross sectional design (cannot prove causation and effect).
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