Childhood illness exposure ‘link to start of menopause’

Women who grow up in an environment where they are exposed to childhood illnesses may go through the menopause sooner than those who do not, scientists have found.

Previously, scientists have thought women’s ovarian reserve – effectively the size of their egg bank – came down to genes or their race.

But the conditions women of a similar ethnicity and social background lived through as girls may also have a profound effect, the senior author of a study published in the journal Fertility And Sterility has said.