Dutch scientists uncover method of timing menopause

A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism reveals the potential discovery of a new realistic way of predicting the onset of the menopause.

Researchers at the University Medical Center Utrecht in Utrecht, the Netherlands found that anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) levels can be linked to the onset of menopause, thus providing a way of specifying a woman's reproductive timeline more accurately than chronological age.

"Variation in menopausal age and corresponding variation in natural fertility means that some women are sterile as early as their thirties," explained the study's authors Dr Jeroen van Disseldorp and Dr Frank Broekmans.

"Knowing when menopause may occur could greatly impact childbearing decisions and our findings show that such knowledge may now be available from AMH levels."

The data was used to estimate the age distribution of menopause in a sample of more than 3,000 women aged between 50 and 70 years old.