Early menopause risk for endometriosis patients discovered

A new study published in the journal Human Reproduction has shown that patients with endometriosis are more likely to experience early menopause than women without the condition, and seven times more likely to undergo surgical menopause than natural menopause.

The study was carried out by researchers at the University of Queensland, Australia, and looked at data from more than 270,000 women in Australia, the UK, Sweden and Japan, over a period of 26 years. The aim was to understand the association between endometriosis and menopause, both in terms of natural versus surgical menopause and the age at which it occurs.

Researchers discovered that surgical menopause occurs an average of 19 months earlier in women with endometriosis, and natural menopause occurs five months earlier than in women who don’t have endometriosis.

What is surgical menopause?

Surgical menopause occurs after a procedure known as oophorectomy, where the ovaries are surgically removed. The reason surgical menopause is more common in women with endometriosis may well be because oophorectomy is often used as a treatment to relieve the pain associated with the condition.

What is endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a medical condition where womb-like tissue grows outside of the womb, usually on organs in the abdominal area. Because this tissue grows outside of the womb, it can’t be shed each month in the usual way (through menstruation), which can lead to a build-up of scar tissue.

Symptoms of endometriosis include:

• Severe period pain – to the extent that it prevents you from carrying out normal daily tasks
• Extremely heavy periods
• Pain when using the toilet
• Pelvic pain even when not on your period
• Painful sex
• Extreme fatigue

Why might endometriosis cause early menopause?

It is not known exactly why endometriosis causes natural menopause to occur earlier, although we do know that surgical menopause is often induced as part of treatment to manage the pain associated with endometriosis.

Why is it important to know about an association between endometriosis and early menopause?

While many of us might long for the day when we no longer have to deal with monthly bleeding – and if you suffer from the painful, heavy periods often associated with endometriosis, even more so – there are some dangers attached to early and surgical menopause, including adverse health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease.

By understanding the link between endometriosis and early menopause, it is hoped that doctors will be able to monitor endometriosis patients for the signs and symptoms of menopause.

How can the link between endometriosis and surgical menopause be avoided?

Often, surgical menopause occurs because the pain associated with endometriosis has become too much to bear, and this is usually the case when diagnosis has been delayed. By ensuring both patients and medical staff are aware of the signs and symptoms of endometriosis, it is hoped that diagnosis can occur much earlier, thus avoiding the need for drastic surgical intervention.

If you are concerned that you may be experiencing some of the symptoms of endometriosis, please contact us to book a consultation with one of our specialists.