Women in the eastern part of the world are experiencing menopause earlier than others across the globe.
An analysis by Universal Drugstore looked at the average age women go through menopause around the world and found countries with the oldest and youngest women experiencing the transition.
On average, menopause begins at 51 years old. But for women in Taiwan, India and Bangladesh, they can expect to begin the process in their mid-40s.
At an average of 44.6 years old, Taiwanese women experience menopause at the youngest age. Followed by India at 45.6 years old and Bangladesh at 47 – outliers among Asian countries.
The countries where women experience the process at the oldest age include Norway at 52.7 years old, Spain at 51.7 years old and New Zealand at 51.5. With ages of 51.4, 51.2 and 51, the US, Brazil and UK follow closely behind, respectively.
There are some geographical trends among the data. Many countries in South America have an average menopause age of 51 years old, while in Africa, many countries have average ages of 48 or 49.
In Asia, the average menopause age in a majority of countries is 49 or 50 years old.
The World Population Organization said better healthcare and more widespread access to it typically correlates to a higher menopause age.
Menopause can bring with it hot flashes, irritability and anxiety (stock photo)
However, in lower socioeconomic countries, where healthcare access is more limited, women tend to have children younger, which can be a contributor to earlier menopause.
But experts told DailyMail.com that more research is needed to determine how geography, culture, diet or socioeconomics play a role in menopause.
Dr Amanda Shea, Chief Science Officer at Clue – an app that tracks periods and ovulation – told DailyMail.com: ‘The timing of menopause is influenced by a multitude of things, including genetic, biological, environmental, and socioeconomic factors.
‘For example, research has found associations between age of menopause and factors like smoking, obesity, child birth, and nutrition.’
Menopause is a natural biological process marking the end of a woman’s menstrual cycles and fertility.
Around the world, the average ages of menopause are between 44 and 53 years old.
Signs include irregular periods, hot flashes and fluctuations in mood leading to irritability, anxiety or depression.
Women in menopause may also have vaginal dryness, sleep disturbances, weight gain and shifts in their skin or hair color.
Symptoms can start up to 10 years before menopause and can last up to 14 years. The average length of symptoms, however, is about seven years.
Treatment options include hormone therapy and lifestyle changes, such as limiting saturated fats and eating more fruits and vegetables.
In the analysis, rounding out the youngest five countries were Mexico and Egypt, which also had average ages of 47 years old, according to the Universal Drugstore analysis, which was based on data from the World Population Organization.
Dr Shea added: ‘… trends in [menopause] onset vary by country and are shifting over time.
‘These variations highlight the critical need for further research to better understand the underlying factors driving these trends and their implications for the daily lives of women and people with cycles, especially as life expectancies increase and we spend more years in menopause.’
Dr Navya Mysore, medical director of women’s health at Nurx, a women’s healthcare company, told Daily Mail.com: ‘It is difficult to say whether geographical trends, genetics, diets, and cultures impact the age of menopause onset. The fact is we need more research to better understand the condition across different cultures and ethnic groups.
‘We do know some ethnic groups experience menopause in a different way than others. For example, many Japanese women experience less hot flashes than other races and ethnicities.
‘This could be because diets of Japanese women may contain more soy,’ she added.
Soy contains isoflavones, a type of plant-based estrogen that mimics the hormone naturally produced in the body. Menopause – and its accompanying hot flashes – begin when the body stops producing estrogen.
This, Dr Mysore posits, may be why women who have diets high in soy experience lesser menopause symptoms. However, she cautioned, there is limited data that confirms this.
Regardless of cause, Dr Shea said both early and late menopause come with ‘significant health implications.’
She told this website: ‘For instance, premature menopause is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and hypertension, while delayed menopause is associated with increased risk of breast, endometrial and ovarian cancer.’
Premature menopause is also known as primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) and occurs when a woman’s ovaries stop working and she experiences menopause before 40, whereas early menopause is when the transition occurs between 40 and 45.
Early menopause happens in about five percent of women and POI occurs in just one percent of women younger than 40.
It could be the result of genetics or family history, as well as certain diseases or treatments, such as cancer and chemotherapy, uterine or ovarian removal and certain autoimmune diseases.
Research has shown that long-term health impacts of premature menopause include heart disease, neurological diseases, mood disorders, osteoporosis and a premature death.
However, a separate study found hormone therapy may lessen some, but not all, of these risks.
This includes taking medications that contain the female hormone estrogen, which the body stops making when a woman experiences menopause.
On the opposite side, delayed menopause occurs when a woman reaches menopause in her late 50s or early 60s.
Genetics, obesity, having children and a late-in-life pregnancy can contribute to delayed menopause.
A 2014 study found delayed menopause has been found to be associated with an increased risk of breast, endometrial and ovarian cancers; but also, a decreased risk of osteoporosis and death from heart diseases, and a longer reproductive span.
No matter trends or patterns, Dr Shea said more research needs to be done ‘to better understand the factors contributing to these differences.
‘In particular, improving our ability to predict individual perimenopause and menopause experiences based on a person’s unique characteristics and circumstances could enable more women to better prepare for and manage health changes over time, ultimately improving their overall quality of life.’
