Effect of passive exposure to smoking on age at natural menopause

Abstract

Several studies have shown that women who smoke cigarettes reach the menopause sooner than those who do not, irrespective of potential confounding factors including marital state, parity, and body weight.1 The reason for this is unknown, but it may be due to the destruction of irreplaceable primary oocytes by benzo(a)pyrene and other toxic substances in cigarette smoke.2 Because exposure to toxic agents in tobacco smoke may also occur from passive smoking (including transplacental exposure3 and inhalation of ambient tobacco smoke) we investigated associations between passive exposure to smoking and age at natural menopause. © 1986, British Medical Journal Publishing Group. All rights reserved.