Mumps, menarche, menopause, and ovarian cancer

Clinical history of mumps during childhood, age at menarche, and age at natural menopause were obtained in 119 postmenopausal women with ovarian cancer and 109 postmenopausal control subjects from the general population. Case subjects differed significantly from control subjects in being less certain whether they had had mumps and in being less likely to recall the age at infection. In both groups, a significant inverse correlation was observed between age at menarche and menopause in subjects with a positive clinical history for mumps but not in subjects with a negative clinical history for mumps. The correlation was strongest in case subjects who said they had had mumps, especially those who were nulliparous. We speculate that the mumps virus may be a determinant of reproductive span and, through its potential to cause a depletion of oocytes, increase the risk for ovarian cancer.