As a rule, in the ages of 45 and 55 years in women begins menopause. This natural change is complete cessation of menstrual cycles, after which the woman loses the ability to conceive a child.
In the new work, researchers from University College London found that the age of menopause in women depending on their sexual activity.
Experts analysed data for almost three thousand women obtained through American women’s health research Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation.
At the beginning of observations (1996-1997 year) female participants were 42 to 52 years. On average they had two children. Most women were in legal or civil marriage.
In the proposed questionnaires, participants reported the frequency of different sexual contacts in the last six months (including oral sex and other “non-classical” pleasures of love).
the Majority of women (64%) admitted that they had sex on average once a week.
At the beginning of the study none of the participants had not yet entered menopause. 46% were in early perimenopause (started to experience the typical menopausal symptoms, such as changes in the menstrual cycle and the tides). The remaining 54% were in premenopausal women (they were not observed signs of perimenopause).
Observations and surveys were conducted for ten years. During this time, more than 1300 participants (45%) menopause average age of 52.
data Analysis showed that women who had sex (during study period) weekly and monthly, the occurrence of menopause were, respectively, 28% and 19% lower than those who had sex less than once per month.
the Researchers also took into account the overall health of the participants and factors such as estrogen level, education, body mass index, Smoking and the age at which women began menstruating.
“the Results of our study saying that, if a woman has sex and she had no chance to get pregnant, the body decides not to invest energy in ovulation, since it would be meaningless,” says first author Megan Arnot (Arnot Megan).
Probably, the female body is a biological energy compromise: cease “investing” energy in ovulation, switching to other types of activity, such as caring for grandchildren, says the scientist.
in Fact, the results support the hypothesis of the grandmother, who says that in a certain period of life for women is more important than caring for existing offspring than the birth of new children, and therefore the body stops the reproductive function.
besides, during ovulation the immune defenses of the female body is reduced, making it more susceptible to disease. Most likely, the body reflects this, at some point deciding that the risk is not justified.
“Menopause, of course, is inevitable for women, and there are no behavioral interventions that would prevent the termination of reproductive function. Nevertheless, our results indicate that time [the onset of] the menopause might be adaptive and depend on the probability to get pregnant”, concludes co-author Professor of evolutionary anthropology, Ruth Mace (Ruth Mace).
read More about the study discussed in the article presented in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
by the Way, the experts blamed the onset of the female menopause men, who in Mature age instinctively prefer younger women, able to reproduce.
Also “Conduct.Science” (nauka.vesti.ru) told me that women whose menopause occurs early, in the future, are more at risk of developing heart disease. Needless skinny ladies are at risk to enter menopause before 45 years.
Text: To.Science
