A new study reveals that the age you get your first period might predict how long you’ll live. Weird right?
Researchers from the University of California, San Diego, examined data from the Women’s Health Initiative, which tracked 16,000 postmenopausal women from the U.S.
The results? Late bloomers are likely to live longer.
The researchers found that the women who began menstruating when they were twelve or older had a higher chance of making it to their 90th birthday than those who started having their periods early (we’re sorry, early starters).
They also noted a correlation between the start of menopause and the women’s lifespan – those who experience menopause at 50 or older were more likely to hit 90 than those who began their menopause early.
Oh, and women who began their periods later in life and started their menopause later were also less likely to smoke or suffer from diabetes. Interesting.
The team behind the study note that much more research needs to be done, as it’s not entirely clear why the age you start your period and the age it ends affects your lifespan.
Aladdin Shadyab, the lead author on the study, said in a press release:
‘Our team found that women who started menstruation at a later age were less likely to have certain health issues, like coronary heart disease, and those who experienced menopause later in life were more likely to be in excellent health overall, which may be a possible explanation for our findings.
‘Factors, such as smoking, can damage the cardiovascular system and ovaries, which can result in earlier menopause. Women with later menopause and a longer reproductive lifespan may have decreased risk of cardiovascular diseases.’
So it’s not entirely clear what’s going on.
But regardless, rejoice, late bloomers. Not only have you managed to avoid a few years of the struggle of being a young person dealing with periods, but you also might end up living longer. Hooray.
