Around one in every 13 Bangladeshi women experiences menopause before the age of 45, according to the largest multi-country study led by researchers at icddr,b.
Published last week in BMJ Global Health, the study analysed health data from 716,648 women across 44 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It found that one in every 14 women living in LMIC countries experiences premature or early menopause, said icddr,b in a media release on Tuesday.
Menopause occurring before the age of 45 is referred to as early menopause, while menopause occurring before the age of 40 is known as premature menopause.
When menopause occurs early, women lose the protective effects of oestrogen much earlier than expected.
A growing body of global evidence shows that women who experience early menopause face a higher lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, cognitive decline, depression and can significantly affect their quality of life.
The study showed Bangladesh recorded a prevalence of 7.5 per cent, slightly above the overall LMIC average of 7.1 per cent.
Within South Asia, Bangladesh’s prevalence was comparable to Nepal (7.9 per cent) and slightly lower than India (8.0 per cent). Pakistan recorded 5.9 per cent. The findings highlight that premature or early menopause is a significant public health issue across the region.
Women living in rural areas were more likely to experience menopause before the age of 45 than women living in urban areas.
After accounting for education, wealth, employment and reproductive history, rural women remained 17 per cent more likely to experience premature or early menopause. The findings point to persistent inequalities in healthcare access, nutrition and living conditions.
Women who had their first child at the age of 18 years or older were also less likely to experience menopause before the age of 45.
Ethiopia recorded the highest prevalence at 12.0 per cent, followed by Indonesia (11.5 per cent). Jordan recorded the lowest prevalence at 2.3 per cent.
“Our findings show that premature or early menopause is shaped by much more than biology. Across 44 countries, women with less education, those living in rural communities, and those marrying or giving birth at a younger age consistently experienced a greater burden,” said Raisha Binte Islam, lead author of the study and researcher at icddr,b.
