About the female age
Numerous studies have shown the role of genetic factors in determining the age of menopause. The new study not only confirms this correlation, it also found a link with life expectancy.
The age of menopause is clinically defined as one year after the last menstruation and is about 52 years old. This is the average, and thousands of women enter menopause later or earlier.
Menopause may occur earlier as a result of the influence of various factors (smoking, chemotherapy, increased body mass index, etc.), however, heredity has the greatest influence: the daughter will enter menopause at about the same age as her mother.
The present study focused on the duration of the reproductive period and the study of genetic factors of later menopause and associated life expectancy. A meta-analysis of several major studies was conducted, including the Long Life Family Study, the Health and Retirement Study, and the Framingham Heart Study. Analysis of the combined data showed that women who retained the ability to give birth to a child over the age of 40 were four times more likely to live to 100 years and more compared to the average statistical data in the population. Women who gave birth to children aged 35 and older were 1.5 times more likely to live more than 100 years.
A meta-analysis of genetic variants of the time of menopause in long-lived women was performed. The results obtained (determination of previously known and a dozen new single nucleotide polymorphisms) they were an additional proof of the genetic basis of the age of menopause. In addition, the findings suggest the presence of genetic mechanisms linking the age of menopause with a woman's life expectancy.
Later menopause correlated with a longer life. At the same time, early menarche and the total number of reproductive years were not associated with later aging, whereas longer reproductive potential seems to be associated with slower aging.
Article by Bae et al. Genetic associations with age of menopause in familial longevity is published in the journal Menopause.
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of The North American Menopause Society: Genetics play a strong role in determining the age of menopause and overall longevity.