Researchers link air pollution to reduced estrogen levels during menopause transition
The University of Michigan researchers analysed sex hormones of 1,365 middle-aged female individuals and the air quality around their residences to find some air pollutants can disrupt hormone levels during menopause transition, possibly exacerbating symptoms.
Exposure to a couple of different types of air pollutants, nitrogen dioxide and PM2.5 – a fine particulate matter, is linked to an additional drop in estrogen levels and a more accelerated estrogen decline during the transition, as per a paper published earlier this year.
Menopause a predictor of future chronic disease
Sung Kyun Park, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan and an author of the study, said: “Menopause is an important predictor of future chronic disease,” noting that the management of menopause is really vital to one’s health later in life.
There is an increasing understanding of air pollution’s importance for reproductive health, but most air pollution research has been done on individuals of reproductive age, said Professor Amelia Wesselink at Boston University. She is not a part of the study.
For this study, researchers looked at the hormone levels of people going through menopause. During the transition, menstrual cycles start to change until they eventually stop. As ovulation stops, ovaries also stop making estrogen.
Estrogen is the sex hormone responsible for regulating the female reproductive system. The drop in estrogen levels has health implications that go beyond reproduction. It has been linked to an increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease and bone health problems.
Serious effects of air pollution on reproductive organs
The findings are not entirely surprising though. Since 2022, researchers have become aware of the fact that, in mice, air pollution leads to inflammation in the ovaries and also causes ovarian follicles to die early. The ovarian tissue and the follicular fluid have also been threatened.
If air pollution affects ovaries for several years, individuals are likely to experience menopause at an earlier age or have reduced levels of certain hormones. But researchers are looking to study even further into the evolving situation.
