Study Finds Delayed Menopause in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome reach menopause later than women without the condition, according to a study published in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. Researchers followed 1,849 women born in Finland in 1966 who received regular health examinations.

At age 31, 380 of the women met the diagnostic criteria for polycystic ovary syndrome. By age 46, only 3 percent of the women with the condition had entered late perimenopause or menopause. In comparison, 18 percent of women without the condition had reached that stage.

University Hospital said women with the condition are born with a larger reserve of eggs. This reserve keeps the ovaries crowded in younger years, which disrupts regular ovulation. As egg numbers decline naturally with age, the ovaries become less crowded.

Eggs can then mature and be released more easily, leading to more regular menstrual cycles. Piltonen noted that some women who had difficulty conceiving earlier reported pregnancies in their 40s. " The study also referenced a smaller Swedish study that found women with polycystic ovary syndrome reached menopause four years later on average.

Piltonen said the later drop in estrogen levels may reduce risks associated with menopause, including weaker bones and higher rates of heart disease. One cited study found women who reached menopause after age 55 lived two years longer on average than those who reached it before age 40.

The researchers suggested the condition may have offered reproductive advantages in earlier human populations when resources were limited.