Smoking May Lead to Early Onset of Menopause

By HelloLife

Smoking may lead to early onset of menopause?

It's true. Smoking has been linked to cause the onset of early menopause. Smoking affects the incidence of osteoporosis, the intensity of the symptoms, and the timing of menopause. The chemicals in tobacco, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons known as PAHs, are known to initiate genetic functions because they bind to egg cells that create a pathway that programs the death of ovarian cells. It's not just menopause smoking adversely effects in women. Consider the fact that smoking leads to heart disease, the number one killer of women. Further, smoking promotes lung ailments and fragile bones, threatens infertility and overall health, and it worsens menopausal symptoms. Smokers who enter menopause experience symptoms at greater severity. This will make the unknown menopausal years be more unpleasant and more disruptive. Women will experience complications before, during, and after menopause because of smoking. The effects are long-term.

How much smoking puts a woman at risk?

According to a July 2007, study, smokers increase their risk for early menopause by the age of 45 by a walloping 59% than those women who do not smoke. Simply put, smokers almost double their risk for the onset of early menopause. Studies confirm women who smoke more than ten cigarettes daily are 40% more likely to enter menopause early than nonsmokers. For a woman who smokes less, her chances to enter menopause are still increased by a year or two. Menopausal women who smoke are 35% more inclined to break a hip than nonsmokers. For the women who used to smoke, their risk decreases to 15%. For every five years a woman smokes, her chances to break a hip increase 6%. Smoking after menopause has greater bearing than smoking before menopause. For every five years a woman stops smoking, her risk for hip fracture decreases 2% each year. It will take a full 15 years for a woman to stop smoking before her risk for hip fracture isn't increased at all. If a woman would stop smoking ten years before she arrived at menopause, she would significantly reduce her risk for early menopause. It's the number of years, not the number of cigarettes, a woman smokes that has a direct correlation as to her risk for health complications.

Why is the early onset of menopause so important?

The early onset of menopause is important because early menopause is linked to heart disease, osteoporosis, and stroke. All this because a woman smokes! Smoking just aggravates menopausal symptoms and increases a woman's risk for future health complications. So, no matter what a smoker does to allay her menopausal symptoms, those efforts will only pale in comparison. It must be a culmination of lifestyle changes.

What's the bottom line?

The bottom is simple, but harsh, for female smokers. Stop smoking. There are no health benefits that result from smoking. There are many health risks that result from smoking. The sooner you stop smoking, the better. There's no other way to say it.

[sniplet Menopol]