Why is age at menopause different for different women?

All women are different and just as you may have started your periods at an earlier or later age than your friends, you may have your menopause earlier or later than other women you know.  Several things can affect the age at which you will become menopausal. The most important is the age at which your mother had her menopause.

You will probably become menopausal around the same age as your mother had her menopause, give or take a few years.  But this is not always true, and there are other factors that can affect your age at menopause.

These include certain illnesses and health conditions, some medications, treatment for cancers, and also your lifestyle.  Smoking is a reason why some women have an earlier menopause, because smoking can damage your ovaries so they don’t work as well as they should. So, if you smoke but your mother didn’t it is likely that you will become menopausal earlier than she did. If you are very, very thin your periods may stop, and you may have an early (premature) menopause.