Having Your First Period After Age 12 Could Have Health Benefits
[Photo: Flickr/小草]
Being the last of your friends to start their period was rubbish at the time, and it was easy to feel left out when they exchanged stories about buying tampons or their periods from hell.
But according to a new study, it may actually be healthier in the long run to have started it when you were 12 or older.
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that women who begin their periods at age 12 or older - and experience menopause at 50 or older - are more likely to live until they’re 90.
[Photo: Pexels]
The study tracked 16,000 women over 21 years, and also found that late bloomers were less likely to deal with coronary heart disease and diabetes.
They’re also less likely to take up smoking.
Aladdin Shadyab with the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at UC San Diego School of Medicine told EurekAlert!:
“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.
[Photo: Pexels]
“Women with later menopause and a longer reproductive lifespan may have decreased risk of cardiovascular diseases."
Why? It seems no one is totally sure, and researchers are still looking for an answer.
"This study is just the beginning of looking at factors that can predict a woman’s likelihood of surviving to advanced age,” Shadyab explained.
Plus, plenty of other things affect your lifespan, so early bloomers don’t need to be taking out life insurance just yet.
What do you think? Tweet us at @YahooStyleUK.
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