Early menopause may increase your risk of breast cancer sixfold, study finds

Women who go through menopause at an earlier age than average have a six times higher risk of certain cancers, including breast and ovarian cancer, a study has found.

British researchers found that hormonal changes can occur up to five years earlier if a woman has a specific gene group.

Research has shown that this genetic makeup also increases the risk of cancer in women.

One example of this is the BRCA1 gene mutation, made famous by actress Angelina Jolie, who underwent a preventive double mastectomy after testing positive for the mutation in 2013.

Experts from the Universities of Exeter and Cambridge made the discovery after analysing genetic data from over 100,000 British women.

Actress Naomi Watts, 55, of Mulholland Drive and Peter Jackson’s King Kong fame, is one of the most public faces to open up about going through early menopause, experiencing the change at the age of 36. Watts is pictured here at the premiere of ‘The Friend’ at Toronto International Film 2024 earlier this month

They discovered a collection of genes that cause a woman’s eggs to break down more quickly.

Women are born with a limited number of eggs. When this supply runs out, it can trigger hormonal changes that lead to menopause.

For most British women this happens between the ages of 45 and 55, but for about one in 20 it can happen earlier.

The new study, published in the journal Naturesuggests that some people with certain genetic traits use up their eggs faster than the average woman.

Women with a defective copy of a gene called ZNF518A experienced the greatest decline in menopause, experiencing the change an average of five and a half years earlier than women with a normal copy.

The sample size in the UK showed that this affects only one in 4,000 women.

Another aspect of the study analyzed whether genes linked to an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer also influence the timing of menopause.

Experts found that BRCA1, which increases women’s risk of breast cancer by 85 percent, reduces the average age of onset of menopause by 2.1 years.

Experts also discovered that the BRCA1 gene mutation, made famous by actress Angelina Jolie, who underwent a preventive double mastectomy after testing positive in 2013, can cause women to enter menopause about two years earlier than average. Jolie is pictured here at the premiere of ‘Without Blood’ at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month

Women with the faulty BRCA1 gene mutation have an 85 per cent lifetime risk of developing breast cancer, around six times higher than the average risk all British women have of developing the disease of around 14 per cent.

Another gene, BRCA2, increases the risk of breast cancer in women by 77 percent and reduces the average age at which women reach menopause by 1.2 years.

By comparison, British women have an average lifetime risk of only 14 percent of developing breast cancer.

The experts discovered that another gene linked to the timing of menopause, SAMHD1, also influences cancer risk.

It was found that this delays the average age of onset of menopause by one year.

However, it was also found to increase the risk of cancer of all types in women by as much as 60 percent, particularly breast cancer.

According to the authors, research into genetic factors that influence menopause increases knowledge about possible links to other diseases.

They added that finding ways to influence these genes could improve outcomes, for example by expanding fertility options.

Professor Anna Murray, from Exeter, one of the lead authors, said: ‘The menopause has been under-researched for decades, but it is now a rapidly evolving scientific area.

‘The moment at which menopause occurs has a huge impact on the career and life of women. Understanding the genetic changes is of great importance for possible treatments that can extend the fertile lifespan in the future.’

Early menopause is generally rare, with only 5 percent of women experiencing it.

Actress Naomi Watts, 55, known for Mulholland Drive and Peter Jackson’s King Kong, is one of the most famous faces to open up about her early menopause, which left her suffering from symptoms including “itchy, sensitive skin” at the age of 36.

She has since launched her own menopause product line, Stripes, to “address the skin and body changes that come with menopause.”

Signs of early menopause include irregular menstrual cycles that last for several years, spotting between periods, and changes in vaginal bleeding.

Early menopause has previously been linked to health problems.

The condition is known to increase the risk of osteoporosis (weak bones), heart disease, depression, dementia and Parkinson’s disease. Patients also experience menopausal symptoms more severely.

Early menopause can be caused by DNA abnormalities, an autoimmune disease, an infection, or a side effect of cancer treatments.

But in 90 percent of cases, the reason for early menopause is unknown.

People who experience menopause earlier than expected are usually offered hormone therapy to replace the hormones that are normally produced.

Doctors advise patients to continue taking this medication until at least the average age at which they reach menopause.

Premature menopause is different from premature menopause, the term used for when a woman’s periods stop before age 40. This affects only about 1 percent of women.