New publications
Early menopause is associated with an increased risk of breast and possibly ovarian cancer
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Some women who experience early menopause — before age 40 — have an increased risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer, according to research presented at ENDO 2024, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Boston, Massachusetts.
"These women's relatives also have a higher risk of breast, prostate and colon cancer," said Dr. Corrine Welt, chief of the division of endocrinology, metabolism and diabetes at the University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Welt and her colleagues began their study with the hypothesis that some women with primary ovarian failure and their relatives might be predisposed to reproductive or hormone-related cancers. Primary ovarian failure is a condition in which a woman’s ovaries stop functioning normally before age 40.
The researchers identified 613 women with primary ovarian insufficiency and 165 women who had experienced early menopause from two health systems in Utah that serve 85% of the population. They reviewed medical records from 1995 to 2021.
Using genealogical information from the Utah Population Database, the researchers found relatives and focused on cancer diagnoses in women and their families using the Utah Cancer Registry. Specifically, the researchers looked at diagnoses of breast, ovarian, endometrial, colon, testicular, and prostate cancers.
They found that women with early menopause had a two-fold increased risk of breast cancer. This risk was increased almost fourfold (borderline risk) for ovarian cancer.
The risk of breast cancer is increased by 1.3 times and the risk of colon cancer by 1.5 times in second-degree relatives (i.e. aunts, uncles, grandparents, nieces or nephews, etc.).
The risk of prostate cancer is increased by 1.3–1.6 times in first-, second-, and third-degree relatives (i.e. great-grandparents, cousins).
"Women who have infertility due to low egg count or who are going through early menopause should be screened regularly for breast cancer, especially if they have relatives with cancer," Welt said.
"GPs, gynaecologists and fertility doctors need to be aware that early menopause increases the risk of a number of diseases, and they should now be aware that breast cancer may be one of these diseases to look out for."