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A new study has found an association between early diagnosis of diabetes and earlier menopause, and a later diabetes diagnosis with a later age at menopause.
The research, which was presented at the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) Annual Meeting, adds to the growing evidence relative to the collective toll diabetes takes on the human body.
The impact of diabetes on the body
Indeed, people living with diabetes are at greater risk of a number of health conditions including eye and foot problems, heart attacks and strokes, and kidney and nerve damage.
While a number of studies have previously evaluated the risk of developing diabetes postmenopause, this study sought to understand the long-term implications of premenopausal diabetes on women’s reproductive health, including their age at natural menopause.
More than 11,000 women were included in the study, making it one of the largest retrospective cohort studies to consider the link between age of diabetes diagnosis and age of menopause onset.
No significant association was found between gestational diabetes and age at menopause
Based on the analysis, the researchers found that early age of diagnosis of both type 1 diabetes (40 years) was associated with later age at natural menopause as compared to those who did not have diabetes. However, no significant association was found between gestational diabetes and age at menopause.
While further research must be done to confirm the findings, the authors say the findings show that young women living with a diagnosis of diabetes are more susceptible to accelerated ovarian aging and early menopause.
As Dr. Vrati Mehra, lead author of the study from the University of Toronto, explains: “Our large retrospective cohort study shows that, even after adjusting for covariates associated with age at natural menopause, we still find an association between early diagnosis of diabetes and earlier menopause and a later diabetes diagnosis with a later age at menopause as compared to those who did not have diabetes.
“We hope our work lays the foundation for more research in this area so we can better understand and prevent the long-term impacts of diabetes on the human body and the reproductive system.”