Source: Inside Climate News

Excerpt:

Some air pollutants can disrupt hormone levels during the menopause transition, possibly exacerbating symptoms, according to a paper published earlier this year in the journal Science of Total Environment. 

University of Michigan researchers analyzed the sex hormones of 1,365 middle-aged women and the air quality around their homes to understand how certain air pollutants affected their hormones. They found that exposure to two types of air pollutants, nitrogen dioxide and the fine particulate matter known as PM2.5, was associated with an additional decrease in estrogen levels and a more accelerated estrogen decline during menopause transition.

“Menopause is an important predictor of future chronic disease,” said Sung Kyun Park, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan and an author of the study. “The management of menopause is really important to the woman’s health later in life. If air pollution plays a role, we need to take care of that.”

Read more: Air Pollution Could Potentially Exacerbate Menopause Symptoms, Study Says