Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 1, 2026

Orthotopic Ovarian Transplantation Procedures to Investigate the Life- and Health-span Influence of Ovarian Senescence in Female Mice
Published on: February 12, 2018
The impact of hormonal therapy for infertility on the age at menopause
A Pines1, I Shapira, V Mijatovic
1Department of Medicine T, Ichilov Hospital, 6 Weizman Street, Tel-Aviv, Israel. apines@netvision.net.il
Objectives:
To look for possible association between past history of ovulation induction and age at menopause.
Design:
Women attending our postmenopausal outpatient clinic were asked to fill questionnaires with demographic data, obstetrical history (including treatment for infertility), and medical details related to menopause.
Patients:
The study group (n=31) consisted of women with a history of ovulation induction, and a control group (n=200) included women who did not experience such intervention.
Results:
The age at the final menstrual bleeding was 46.4+/-5 in the study group, and 50+/-4 for the control group (P<0.001). This difference was most prominent for women who had induction of ovulation prior to age 35 years: they entered menopause at age 43.8+/-5 years. Smoking had a weak effect on the age at menopause (48.5+/-4 for current, vs. 49.9+/-4 for non- or past-smokers; P<0.03).
Conclusions:
This retrospective and preliminary study raises the question whether hormonal manipulations and ovarian over-stimulation during fertility treatments could be a risk factor for premature menopause.
Related Concept Videos
Menopause
Hormonal Regulation of the Menstrual Cycle
At puberty, GnRH begins a pulsatile release pattern, which triggers the anterior pituitary gland to secrete follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). The frequency and amplitude of GnRH pulses vary across the menstrual cycle, with faster pulses favoring LH release and slower pulses favoring FSH release.
Hormonal Control of the Ovarian Cycle
Before puberty, the hypothalamus releases GnRH in a low frequency, low amplitude pulsatile manner. This along with the immature hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis activity, results in low estrogen levels and the absence of a fully functional ovarian cycle. At puberty, GnRH secretion increases in both frequency and...
Oogenesis
Signs of Puberty
Bone Disorders
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...