Metabolic HealthMenopause Before 40 Signals Higher Type 2 Diabetes Risk
Women who experience menopause before age 40 may face a modestly higher risk of type 2 diabetes later in life. Researchers studied 136,759 postmenopausal women in the Women's Health Initiative, comparing premature menopause with menopause at ages 50–54. Premature menopause was associated with a 10% higher rate of developing treated diabetes after accounting for several other risk factors. Among women with natural menopause, the association differed by hormone therapy use: higher risk appeared among women who never used hormones and those using estrogen plus progestogen, but not estrogen alone. Body mass index statistically explained about 28% of the association. These observational findings support discussing menopause timing during diabetes risk assessment, not choosing hormone therapy to prevent diabetes. The summary is based only on the abstract, and the study cannot establish cause and effect.
