he immune system may play a role in stopping a woman's biological clock.
John Perry
at the University of Oxford and colleagues looked at 43 genomic studies
of the menopause, covering more than 50,000 women. By comparing the age
that menopause began, Perry's team identified 13 regions with possible
links to menopause timing. Three of the regions were housed within
genes associated with the immune system. Other regions occurred within
genes that control gene repair, regulate hormones and trigger
inflammation.
It's
not yet clear whether the immune system is the main driver of the
menopause or merely a backseat player to biological forces such as hormonal fluctuations.
"This will become clearer when we have identified more of the genetic
basis of menopause onset," says Perry. However, a genetic test to
predict when menopause will begin is still a distant prospect.
The
link between ovulation and the immune system isn't unexpected: some
women with primary ovarian insufficiency, who undergo an unusually
early menopause, have an autoimmune disease of the ovaries
Journal reference: Nature Genetics, DOI: 10.1038/ng.105
http://www.newscientist.com/
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