Early periods increase the likelihood of hot flashes and night sweats decades later during menopause, according to a University of Queensland study. The researchers analyzed data from more than 18,000 middle-aged women in the UK, US and Australia, as part of the International Life Course Approach to Reproductive Health and Chronic Diseases (InterLACE).
dr. Hsin-Fang Chung of UQ said the study found that women who started menstruating from age 11 or younger had a 50 percent higher risk of frequent hot flashes and night sweats — known as vasomotor symptoms — during menopause. The group was compared with women aged 14 years or older.
“The risk of the women who menstruated early experiencing both symptoms was greater than having hot flashes or just night sweats,” said Dr. Chung.
She said early menstruation had previously been linked to adverse health conditions later in life, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Professor Gita Mishra, project leader at InterLACE, said obesity played an important role in the findings.
“Women who had early periods and were overweight or obese in middle age had a two-fold greater risk of hot flashes and night sweats, compared with women who had their first period aged 14 or older and were of normal weight,” she said.
“These findings encourage women with early periods to participate in health promotion programs, especially weight management in adulthood,” said Professor Mishra.
