Women's Reproductive Health

Question 1

How do gynaecological conditions affect menopause?

Answer 1

Treatment may include hormonal medication
and/or gynaecological surgery
- Some invasive treatments may result in immediate (surgical) menopause

Question 2

What is the transition to menopause described as?

Answer 2

Perimenopause.

Question 3

What can increase during perimenopause?

Answer 3

Ovulation disturbances (e.g., anovulation)

Question 4

Define ‘anovulation’.

Answer 4

When an egg (ovum) doesn’t release from your ovary during your menstrual cycle.

Question 5

Describe the usual trend of perimenopause.

Answer 5

Ovarian hormone production fluctuates and then declines.

Question 6

What is the median age of perimenopause?

Answer 6

47.5 years

Question 7

How much longer can the symptoms go on for after menopause?

Answer 7

Up to 10 years after

Question 8

At what age does menopause usually occur at?

Answer 8

50

Question 9

What is early menopause?

Answer 9

Menopause experienced between the ages 40 and 44.

Question 10

What is premature menopause?

Answer 10

Menopause experienced before the age of 40.

Question 11

How is natural menopause before 45 linked to later life risks?

Answer 11

• An increased risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes
• Premature decline in cognitive function
• Decreased life expectancy
• Increased all-cause mortality

Question 12

What is the proportion of women affected by early menopause (EM)?

Answer 12

1 in 10 women are affected by EM.

Question 13

How does SEP affect menopause?

Answer 13

Disadvantaged childhood SEP is consistently associated
with earlier menopause age.

Question 14

What is the result of smoking during pregnancy with menopause?

Answer 14

Smoking during pregnancy may affect the ovarian follicle pool by suppressing the development of
follicles or by damaging them.

Question 15

What can the timing of menopause be determined by?

Answer 15

The lifetime number of ovulatory cycles (when an egg is released from the ovaries).

Question 16

How does breastfeeding at birth affect menopause?

Answer 16

Women who were breastfed one month or less were more likely to undergo EM.

Question 17

What adult behavioural factors are associated with EM?

Answer 17

• Smoking is positively correlated with EM
• Regular exercise and moderate frequency of alcohol drinking in women’s early thirties are associated with reduced risk of EM.

Question 18

Why is it important to identify the effect of EM and menopausal symptoms on the time women
spend in employment through to age 55?

Answer 18

Can guide workplace policies or practices to improve
women’s working lives.

Question 19

What data is collected to analyse the effect of menopausal symptoms on employment?

Answer 19

• Information on menstrual periods collected at age 44/45, 50 and 55 in the NCDS
• Information on menopause symptoms (in the past 12
  months) and their intensity collected at age 50
• Employment activity for a period of 35 years (from age 20 to age 55) derived using work history data

Question 20

How does EM affect women in employment?

Answer 20

EM reduces months spent in employment by 9% (equivalent to a loss of around 4 months) once women
enter their 50s compared with women who do not experience EM.

Question 21

Is EM associated with differences in full-time employment rates?

Answer 21

No.

Question 22

How does the number of symptoms affect the employment rate?

Answer 22

• Each additional symptom lowers employment
  rates and FT rates by around half a percentage
  point
• These effects are larger for bothersome symptoms
• Not all symptoms have the same effects
• Psychological problems are associated with the
  biggest employment effects