Social disadvantage greatly amplifies risk of mortality in women with early menopause

by The North American Menopause Society

edited by Swati Mestri, reviewed by Andrew Zinin

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Early natural menopause is already associated with a higher long-term health burden. A new large-scale study demonstrates that cumulative social disadvantage—and, in particular, unemployment—is strongly associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease, as well as a marked predisposition to dementia, in women with early natural menopause.

Study results are published online in Menopause.

Premature and early natural menopause, which affect roughly 6% of women worldwide, occur when a woman's periods stop permanently and naturally (no surgery or medical treatment) before age 45. Before the current study, it was already known that premature (women aged <40 years) and early (women aged 40–45 years) natural menopause come with higher risks for all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease and dementia. However, the effect of social determinants of health on this risk has not been fully studied.

In this new study, the researchers analyzed data from nearly 20,000 women with early natural menopause (defined as occurring in women aged <48 years) and divided them into favorable, medium and unfavorable social determinants of health categories based on how they ranked on 14 different determinants.

Social determinants of health encompass the environmental conditions in which people are born, live, receive education, work, engage in leisure activities, worship and age. These factors are increasingly recognized as primary drivers of health inequities, often exerting a stronger influence on outcomes than clinical care or personal lifestyle choices.

Given that social disadvantages tend to co-occur, it's important to assess the effect of combined social determinants of health to quantify their aggregate risk. To identify the primary contributors to these adverse outcomes, the researchers also evaluated the independent effect of each social determinant of health variable.

Follow-up was conducted at a median of 10.8 years. The results revealed that socioeconomic disadvantages significantly amplify adverse health trajectories in women with early natural menopause. Of all the disadvantages studied, unemployment exhibited the strongest association with both all-cause mortality and incident dementia.

In contrast, no significant association was observed for incident cancer. As a result, the researchers suggest that a comprehensive assessment of social determinants of health be conducted as part of the health management program for early natural menopause.

Study results are published in the article "Combined social determinants of health, mortality, and adverse health outcomes in early natural menopause."

"This study demonstrates that socioeconomic disadvantages significantly amplify adverse health trajectories in women with premature and early menopause. Disrupting this complex interaction will require a routine, comprehensive assessment of social determinants of health as a fundamental principle in the management of women experiencing premature or early menopause," said Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director for The Menopause Society.

Publication details

Combined social determinants of health, mortality, and adverse health outcomes in early natural menopause, Menopause (2026). DOI: 10.1097/GME.0000000000000002866

Journal information: Menopause

Key medical concepts

All-Cause MortalityCardiovascular DiseasesDementia

Clinical categories

Obstetrics & gynecologyWomen's healthCardiologyHealthy aging Provided by The North American Menopause Society Who's behind this story?

Swati Mestri

Swati Mestri holds a bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering and has worked as a content editor since 2019. She has experience editing research documents across technology, health care, and materials science, and has a particular interest in technology and space. Full profile →

Andrew Zinin

Master's in physics with research experience. Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X's editorial success. Full profile →

Citation: Social disadvantage greatly amplifies risk of mortality in women with early menopause (2026, August 12) retrieved 12 August 2026 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-social-disadvantage-greatly-amplifies-mortality.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.