A study published by JAMA Psychiatry found an association between early menopause and the likelihood of developing depression later on in life.
The findings are significant because they could potentially lead doctors to monitor women who could be at a higher risk for depression. The science behind the study found that those who had the onset of their menopause begin after they were 40 were less likely to develop depression. The biggest link between menopause and the lower risk of depression was found in the amount of estrogen women were exposed to.
According to WebMD, “The findings suggest ‘a potentially protective effect of increasing duration of exposure to [natural] estrogens as assessed by age at menopause, as well as by the duration of the reproductive period,’ wrote Dr. Eleni Th Petridou, of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece, and colleagues.”
This could be an especially important finding for women who go through peri-menopause, a time in which menopause hits one to two years before traditionally expected.
Cover image courtesy of Shutterstock.
comments