Researchers at Boston U.’s School of Public Health and School of Medicine found 13 new genetic areas associated with immune function and DNA repair affecting aging and the beginning of menopause, according to a press release.
The BU press release stated associate professor of medicine Joanne Murabito and biostatistics professor Kathryn Lunetta concluded the genes associated with a woman’s age at menopause include genes involved in DNA repair and immune function in addition to genes involved in hormonal regulation. Their findings were published in a Jan. 22 article in Nature Genetics.
“Our findings suggest that ovarian aging and aging per se may be regulated by some of the same biological mechanisms,” Lunetta said in an email interview.
Their investigation, which took more than 18 months to complete, involved a study of more than 53,000 people of European decent who had experienced menopause between the ages of 40 and 60, Lunetta said. The data involved 36 separate studies from more than 180 researchers.
“Women who have entered menopause are at higher risk for a variety of health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, low bone density and breast cancer,” Lunetta said. “We hope that by identifying the factors that affect age at menopause, we will also identify new pathway for treatment of these conditions.”
New technologies and statistical methods will help researchers identify additional genetic factors contributing to menopause in the near future, Lunetta said.
“However, we have only just begun to understand the genetic factors that contribute to the age at which a woman enters menopause,” she said. “We expect that new technologies and statistical methods will help us identify additional genetic factors contributing to menopause in the near future.”
The researchers said they plan to continue their research on menopause.
One study that is underway examines genetic variations among African-American women and will be used to compare their findings from European women, Lunetta said.
“We also hope that our findings will lead us to new therapies for women who suffer from premature ovarian failure and early menopause,” she said.
Another ongoing project involves working to determine whether genetic factors that contribute to normal menopause age influence early menopause onset in some women.