NEW DELHI: Around one in 14 women aged between 30 and 49 living in low and middle-income countries experience early menopause, according to a pooled analysis published in the BMJ Global Health journal. Researchers warned that the condition could place an increasing burden on already stretched healthcare systems.The study, led by researchers at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, analysed data from 7,16,648 women across 44 low and middle-income countries, including India, Indonesia, Gabon and Jordan. According to PTI, nearly 3,65,000 women from India were included in the analysis.Women typically undergo menopause between the ages of 45 and 55. Menopause occurring before the age of 45 is classified as early menopause, while menopause before the age of 40 is considered premature menopause.
Higher burden in poorer countries
The researchers found that the overall prevalence of premature or early menopause was more than seven per cent, meaning over 51,000 women in the study had experienced the condition. The prevalence was highest among women aged 40 to 44 years, at around 14 per cent.The highest country-level prevalence was recorded in Ethiopia (12 per cent), followed by Indonesia (11.5 per cent) and Myanmar (over 10 per cent). The lowest prevalence was reported in Jordan (just over two per cent), followed by Gabon and Armenia, both at nearly three per cent.The study also found that early menopause was consistently more common in rural areas than in urban settings across the countries analysed. However, higher levels of education and delayed childbearing appeared to significantly reduce the risk.Most women included in the survey lived in rural areas (62 per cent), while 38 per cent had married before turning 18 and 21 per cent had given birth to their first child before adulthood. More than half had three or more children.
Health systems under pressure
The authors warned that the findings point to a growing public health challenge as populations age across low and middle-income countries.“With populations in (these countries) ageing rapidly and women expected to spend an increasing proportion of their lives in the postmenopausal state, the prevalence represents a substantial and growing burden on health systems already constrained by competing priorities and limited resources,” the researchers wrote.They added that the findings reflect broader inequalities affecting women’s health.“The findings reflect fundamental inequalities in healthcare access, nutritional status, educational opportunities and occupational exposures,” the researchers said, noting that women in many of the surveyed countries were more likely to be engaged in manual labour and exposed to workplace hazards.Early and premature menopause are associated with increased risks of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, metabolic disorders, cognitive decline, depression and premature death, while also significantly affecting quality of life.A research published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Women’s Health in June reported that South Asian women face a 34 per cent higher risk of premature menopause than European women, with half reaching menopause by the age of 47.4 years.
