Smoking causes earlier menopause in some white women

Scientists have given us many reasons not to smoke, but now, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania provide evidence that, in white women with specific genetic variations, smoking causes early signs of menopause - up to 9 years earlier than average.

Publishing their study in the journal Menopause, the researchers note that although prior research has shown that smoking accelerates menopause by 1-2 years, theirs is the first to suggest that genetics and smoking increases risks of early menopause.

The team did not find the same relationship between smoking, specific gene variants and earlier menopause in black women.

"It is possible that uniform relationships among white and African American women were not found due to other factors associated with race that modify the interaction between smoking and genes," says Dr. Samantha F. Butts, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Penn Medicine.

Although the symptoms of menopause, which include hot flashes and anxiety, can be uncomfortable, the researchers note that it also comes with increased risks of coronary artery disease, osteoporosis and death from all causes.

This is why women who enter menopause prematurely - before the average age of 50 - face added risks.

Smokers with genetic variant entered menopause 9 years early

For 14 years, the researchers followed over 400 women between the ages of 35 and 47, who took part in the Penn Ovarian Aging Study.