The average age when women experience menopause is 51 years, an
age that has remained fairly constant over centuries though the average
age for onset of menstruation has decreased. About half of all women
stop menstruating before they turn 51 and half stop menstruating afterwards.
Although there is no way you can predict exactly when menopause will
occur there are factors that influence its timing.
The age you begin to menstruate may affect age of menopause though
no studies prove this. Mothers and daughters tend to experience menopause
at the same age suggested by retrospective cross-sectional studies.
Smoking can cause earlier menopause by 1.5 years. Undernourished and
thin women experience
slightly earlier menopause. Factors that do not influence
the time of menopause are whether
or not you took the oral contraceptive
pill and age when you had your first and last child. Race, numbers
of children and height have no influence on the timing of menopause.