The Effect of Parity and Timing of Pregnancy on Menopause
Student Type
Undergraduate
College Affiliation
College of Science, Technology, and Health
Department
Biological Sciences
Submission Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract
Menopause marks the end of the reproductive life of women. Menopause does not occur all at once; instead, the transition to menopause takes several years. The Grandmothering hypothesis says that the post-reproductive female will spend her energy ensuring the survival of the reproducing females and is traditionally thought to be the reason for a long post-reproductive lifespan. There are many factors that contribute to the age at which a woman enters menopause. Some of these factors include smoking, use of contraceptives, age of menarche, parity level, and her age at the birth of her last child. A parity level of two or three lowers the age of menopause while having the last child later in life is shown to raise the age of menopause. Natural selection is working to lengthen the reproductive time of women by lowering the age of menarche while simultaneously increasing the age of menopause.
Recommended Citation
Fitzgerald, Michael and Neely, Joshua, "The Effect of Parity and Timing of Pregnancy on Menopause" (2023). 2023 Student Academic Showcase. 11.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/src_2023/Oral_Presentations/Session1/11
The Effect of Parity and Timing of Pregnancy on Menopause
Menopause marks the end of the reproductive life of women. Menopause does not occur all at once; instead, the transition to menopause takes several years. The Grandmothering hypothesis says that the post-reproductive female will spend her energy ensuring the survival of the reproducing females and is traditionally thought to be the reason for a long post-reproductive lifespan. There are many factors that contribute to the age at which a woman enters menopause. Some of these factors include smoking, use of contraceptives, age of menarche, parity level, and her age at the birth of her last child. A parity level of two or three lowers the age of menopause while having the last child later in life is shown to raise the age of menopause. Natural selection is working to lengthen the reproductive time of women by lowering the age of menarche while simultaneously increasing the age of menopause.