Smoking cigarettes could cause women to enter the menopause early, according to new research.
The research, which analysed the health records of nearly 140,000 British women, found that those who smoked frequently were more likely to begin the menopause before the age of 45.
Women who smoked more than 30 packs of cigarettes a year were 50 per cent more likely to experience early menopause, than those who had never smoked.
Crucially, the study, carried out by scientists at Central South University in China, concluded that quitting smoking could reduced a woman’s chances of early menopause by as much as a third.
Experts argue that smoking lowers the levels of the female sex hormone oestrogen, triggering the menopause. Some have also warned that smoking e-cigarettes, also known as vapes, may have a similar effect.
The menopause is when periods stop due to low hormone levels. This is often accompanied with symptoms such as hot flushes, difficulty sleeping and vaginal dryness.
For most women in the UK, the menopause occurs between the ages of 45 and 55. However, around five per cent will go through the menopause between the ages of 40 and 45.
Previous studies have linked early menopause to smoking. In 2015, a UK study found that women who smoke tended to go into the menoapuse about a year earlier than non-smokers.
Women who smoked more than 30 packs of cigarettes a year were 50 per cent more likely to experience early menopause, than those who had never smoked, a new study has suggested
Experts argue that smoking lowers the levels of the female sex hormone oestrogen, triggering the menopause
Other research has suggested that smoking can also make menopause symptoms worse – with regular smokers experiencing more hot flashes and more intense night sweats.
Post-menopausal smokers are also more at-risk of the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis than those who do not smoke. One study found that smokers are 35 per cent more likely to break a hip than those who never smoked.
But this latest study is the largest, and most detailed yet, to explore the link between smoking and early menopause.
While it is still not known why smoking raises the risk of early menopause, experts believe the habit limits the body’s ability to produce oestrogen.
And it’s not just smoking that can impact oestrogen levels.
‘Vaping is a new area, but some data suggests that it could also reduce women’s fertility,’ says Dr Shazia Malik, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at The Portland Hospital.
‘Studies in animals have suggested that the chemicals in vaping fluid can even affect the implantation of embryos as well as being harmful to the female reproductive system more generally.’