4 health risks of late-onset menopause that every woman should know

Late menopause can up your risk of several types of cancer, read this article to know more.

By: Debjani Arora | | Updated: December 18, 2017 9:06 am

Our hormones govern almost every aspect of our well-being: both physiological and psychological. For women, her hormones play a very crucial role right from hitting puberty to reaching menopause her hormones can either make it smooth or a rough ride for her. While there are a number of issues that she has to deal with when it comes to periods nearing menopause don t leave her with too much of respite either. Here are few symptoms of menopause that every woman should know. Also Read - Plant-based diet reduces death risk in postmenopausal women

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In general, women hit menopause at around 50 years of age. This is when the production of estrogen slows down. But if the body still keeps secreting estrogen beyond the 50s then chances are she might be still having her periods at an age when she is supposed to hit menopause. This isn t something that one should be ignorant about. Here are few causes of late-onset of menopause. Also Read - Ovarian cancer: A frequent and urgent need to urinate could be a warning sign

Late onset of menopause makes one prone to certain health conditions; here are a few of them:

1. Breast cancer: Late menopause is an indication that the ovaries are still secreting estrogen. Now, estrogen being a female reproduction hormone has certain functions, like it stimulates the growth of normal breast cells. But prolonged exposure to this hormone has its own perils as it can put you at a risk of breast cancer. Breast cancer could be either hormone-dependent or hormone independent. For women who suffer from hormone-dependent cancers, their cells have receptors (proteins) that attach to the hormones estrogen (ER-positive cancers) and/or progesterone (PR-positive cancers). So, if a woman is ER, PR positive and experiences late-onset of menopause, high estrogen levels can initiate the cancer cells to grow and spread. The more the woman is exposed to estrogen more are her chances of getting breast cancer, says Dr Rucha Kaushik, breast cancer surgeon, P D Hinduja hospital and research centre, Mumbai. Read to know how hormone-dependent tumours are treated.

2. Endometrial cancer: A study published in the year 2013 pointed out that endometrial cancer is positively correlated with older age, early menarche and late menopause, obesity, family history of endometrial cancer (especially among close relatives), radiation exposure and infertility particularly in the presence of the polycystic ovarian syndrome. Long-term use of estrogens for hormone replacement therapy also increases the risk of endometrial cancer. However, Caucasians have a higher incidence of endometrial cancer than African or Asian women. The study also stated that obese women were found to be at high risk of developing endometrial cancer [1]. Here are some symptoms of endometrial cancer that every woman should know.

3. Ovarian cancer: Not just late onset of menopause, women who take estrogen pills or are on hormone therapy postmenopause have a risk of suffering from ovarian cancer manifolds.

4. Unwanted pregnancy: This is not a health risk, but one should be aware that menstruating beyond a certain age (50 years plus) can up one s chances of getting pregnant. If a late pregnancy is not on the list taking contraceptives and practising safe sex is the best thing to do. A pregnancy at such a late could be risky and come with its own set of complications. Here are ways to prevent an unwanted pregnancy.

Reference:

1: Ali AT. Risk factors for endometrial cancer. Ceska Gynekol. 2013 Nov;78(5):448-59. Review. PubMed PMID: 24313431.

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Published : December 17, 2017 5:59 pm | Updated:December 18, 2017 9:06 am

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