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6. You'll Begin Perimenopause at the Same Age as Your Mother
Although your mother’s age at her transition to menopause can be a good indicator of when you’ll begin to notice the changes, it’s not a hard-and-fast rule. Your lifestyle choices, as well as your medical history, can have a big impact on when you enter perimenopause, too.
If you smoke, you may begin menopause earlier: studies show that smoking doubles the risk of early menopause for women between the ages of 44 and 55. One explanation is that the anti-estrogenic effects of cigarette smoke leads to earlier hormonal changes. On the other hand, obese women, or those who drink daily may begin perimenopause later than average.
Resources
Daily Rx (Menopause Myths and Misconceptions)Healthful Elements (Easing into Menopause)Women to Women (The Top Ten Menopause Myths)Medscape (Meta-analysis Suggests That Smoking is Associated with an Increased Risk of Early Natural Menopause)More (Menopause: Puberty All Over Again?)
I don’t think anyone actually ever told me anything about menopause. Luckily we are all getting better at being open and honest about menopause facts.
