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First step towards genetic test to predict early
menopause, UK.
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| Article Type: | Brief article |
| Subject: |
Menopause
(Genetic aspects) Menopause (Diagnosis) Genetic screening (Usage) |
| Pub Date: | 05/01/2011 |
| Publication: | Name: Reproductive Health Matters Publisher: Elsevier Science Publishers Audience: General Format: Magazine/Journal Subject: Family and marriage; Health; Women's issues/gender studies Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2011 Reproductive Health Matters ISSN: 0968-8080 |
| Issue: | Date: May, 2011 Source Volume: 19 Source Issue: 37 |
| Geographic: | Geographic Scope: United Kingdom Geographic Code: 4EUUK United Kingdom |
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| Accession Number: | 259077133 |
| Full Text: |
Women's fertility decreases approximately ten years before
menopause, and 5% of women in the UK start the menopause before age 46.
As more women delay childbirth into their 30s, the number of women who
experience infertility is likely to increase. Tests that predict the
timing of menopause would allow women to make reproductive decisions
based on this information. Current predictors are only effective just
prior to menopause, and there are no long-range indicators. Age at
menopause and early menopause are highly heritable, suggesting a genetic
aetiology. This study tested four genes known to be associated with
variation in the age of normal menopause (40-60 years) in order to
determine whether theses genes are also risk factors for early
menopause. It compared 2,000 women who had experienced early menopause
from the Breakthrough Generations Study--a large UK study into the
causes of breast cancer--with a matched group of the same number who had
not experienced early menopause. All four genes significantly increased
the odds of having early menopause and in combination they had a larger
impact. These findings are the first stage in developing an easy and
relatively inexpensive genetic test to help women determine whether they
have a genetic predisposition to early menopause, bur the discriminative
power is still limited. (1,2) (1.) Murray A, Bennett CE, Perry JR, et al. Common genetic variants are significant risk factors for early menopause: results from the Breakthrough Generations Study. Human Molecular Genetics 2011;20(l): 186-92. (2.) Scientists report first step towards a genetic test to predict early menopause, Institute of Cancer Research press release, 18 October 2010. |
| Gale Copyright: | Copyright 2011 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. |
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