Tobacco.org

• Prenatal exposure to smoking may affect menopause 

Women who were exposed to cigarette smoke prenatally may go through menopause earlier than other women, a study has found.

Researchers found that among more than 4,000 U.S. women followed since the 1970s, those whose mothers had smoked during pregnancy were 21 percent more likely to have gone through menopause at any given age.

The findings suggest that maternal smoking during pregnancy may have a role in "programming" female children's eventual age at menopause, the researchers report in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

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