A new study suggests a way to predict when a woman will have her final menstrual period.
The findings, published in the April issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, could help women and doctors gauge the onset of menopause-related bone loss which generally begins a year prior to the last period.
The researchers from UCLA and the University of Tokyo used women's ages, menstrual bleeding patterns and measurements of hormone levels to estimate the amount of time until they were likely to reach menopause.
The study’s lead author, Dr Gail Greendale, said women who are approaching menopause often ask their health care providers when they will be done with their periods, but the information is sometimes more telling than women realise.
"Being able to estimate when the final menstrual period will take place has taken on importance beyond just helping women gauge when they will stop having periods," she said.
"We know that potentially deleterious developments, such as the onset of bone loss and an increase in cardiovascular risk factors, precede the final menstruation by at least a year."
For women who are not already on an exercise program to improve bone density and bone health, having this information would mean they could start it or take other preventive action in respect of other risk factors.
Dr Greendale said the study had some limitations, including its modest sample size.
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