Early Menopause Linked to Chemical Exposure in Women

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Early Menopause Linked to Chemical Exposure in Women


Women who have the highest levels of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) from a wide variety of common household and personal-care products enter menopause anywhere from 1.9 to 3.8 years earlier than those who have lower levels of EDC, a cross-sectional sample of US women is showing.


“Even menopause a few years earlier than usual could have a significant effect on bone health, on cardiovascular health, on memory and quality of life for women in general,” senior author Dr Amber Cooper (Washington University, St Louis, Missouri) told Medscape Medical News.


“But I think the bigger question — and one that warrants further research — is what’s happening at the other end of the ovarian health spectrum. Is the age at which we get pregnant shifting earlier as well, so there are other events on the spectrum that we need to address?”

In their analysis of women in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), published online January 28 inPLOS One, Dr Cooper and colleagues identified 15 EDCs that they say warrant closer evaluation “because of their persistence (long half-life) and potential detrimental effects on ovarian function” — nine polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), three pesticides, a furan, and two phthalates were significantly associated with earlier ages of menopause on at least one type of analysis, they report.

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