Active Smoking, SHS Up Risk of Infertility, Early Menopause

Researchers analyzed data on 88,732 US women who enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study between 1993 and 1998.

They provided information on their lifetime smoking habits, fertility problems, and the age they went through a natural menopause.

Compared with never smokers, current or former smokers were 14 percent more likely to be infertile and 26 percent more likely to have early menopause.

Women who were current or former smokers were asked the age at which they started smoking, how many years they had smoked and how many cigarettes they smoked daily.

According to a latest study in NY, both active and passive smoking are linked to infertility problems and a speeds up the signs of natural menopause before the age of 50.

Smokers reached menopause 22 months earlier than non-smokers, while passive smokers reached menopause about 13 months earlier, so they were clearly affected, despite being exposed only to secondhand smoke.

Being exposed to second-hand smoke causes the menopause to start up to two years earlier, a study has warned.

“This study provides additional motivation and incentive for women of all ages to avoid smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke, as well as to quit smoking”, said Patricia Forlan director of the Center for Tobacco Control at North Shore-LIJ Health System in Great Neck, N.Y. Non-smokers were asked whether they were exposed to second hand smoke in their childhood and adult years and whether they had to cope with second hand smoke at their workplace. Compared with never-smokers not exposed to SHS (reached menopause at mean of 49.4 years), active-ever smokers reached menopause 21.7 months earlier, while women exposed to the highest levels of SHS reached menopause 13.0 months earlier.

The team’s findings remained even after accounting for a number of influential factors, such as educational attainment, body mass index (BMI) at age 18, physical activity levels, exposure to insecticides, use of oral contraceptives and age at first menstrual cycle.

The study admits that “the clinical significance of earlier menopause is not clear but other studies have linked earlier menopause to a heightened risk of death from any cause”.

“This is one of the first studies of this size and statistical power to investigate and quantify active and passive smoking and women’s health issues”, said the researchers.

“As for a recommendation to clinicians, you should advise women of reproductive age to limit their exposure to minimize these outcomes”, said Hyland. “More work should be undertaken to fully understand these health risks so that appropriate smoke-free protections can be implemented based on this evidence”. “However”, they add, “there is no reason to think that this would be differential between the exposure categories”.