Around what age does the menopause start?

The age you start your periods has little bearing as to when you start the menopause.

It has more to do with how many eggs you were born with. Someone with a low number of eggs would start early and someone with a large number would start later.

Other factors may be hereditary: you can start around the same age as other close female relatives and smoking, obesity, and some auto-immune conditions can trigger an earlier menopause

Eileen Durward