July 15, 2026
DHAKA – Around one in every 13 Bangladeshi women experiences menopause before the age of 45, according to the largest multi-country study led by researchers at icddr,b.
The study shows that Bangladesh recorded a prevalence of 7.5 percent, slightly above the overall low- and middle-income countries’ (LMICs) average of 7.1 percent.
Within South Asia, Bangladesh’s prevalence was comparable to Nepal (7.9 percent) and slightly lower than India (8.0 percent); Pakistan recorded 5.9 percent. The findings highlight that premature or early menopause is a significant public health issue across the region.
Menopause is a natural stage in a woman’s life. It marks the permanent end of menstrual periods and usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55.
Menopause occurring before the age of 45 is referred to as early menopause, while menopause occurring before the age of 40 is known as premature menopause. When menopause occurs early, women lose the protective effects of oestrogen much earlier than expected.
A growing body of global evidence shows that women who experience early menopause face a higher lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, cognitive decline, and depression.
Published last week in BMJ Global Health, the study analysed health data from 716,648 women across 44 low- and middle-income countries, according to an icddr’b press release issued today.
It found that one in every 14 women living in LMIC countries experiences premature or early menopause.
The study analysed nationally representative Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from 716,648 women aged 30 to 49 years across 44 LMIC countries.
The DHS asks women about their menstrual and reproductive history. Women who reported that they had not had a menstrual period for at least six months, or who reported menopause or hysterectomy, were identified as menopausal using the DHS methodology.
Researchers then identified those whose menopause occurred before the age of 45. The findings remained consistent when tested using the World Health Organization’s 12-month definition of menopause.
The study found marked inequalities.
Women living in rural areas were more likely to experience menopause before the age of 45 than women living in urban areas.
After accounting for education, wealth, employment and reproductive history, rural women remained 17 percent more likely to experience premature or early menopause. The findings point to persistent inequalities in healthcare access, nutrition and living conditions.
Education emerged as one of the strongest protective factors.
Women with primary education had 11 percent lower odds of premature or early menopause than women with no formal education. The reduction increased to 28 percent among women with secondary education and 58 percent among women with higher education.
Women who married at the age of 18 years or older were significantly less likely to experience premature or early menopause than those who married earlier.
Similar findings were observed for age at first birth. Women who had their first child at the age of 18 years or older were also less likely to experience menopause before the age of 45.
“Our findings show that premature or early menopause is shaped by much more than biology. Across 44 countries, women with less education, those living in rural communities, and those marrying or giving birth at a younger age consistently experienced a greater burden,” Raisha Binte Islam, lead author of the study and researcher at icddr,b, said.
Improving girls’ education and ensuring equitable access to quality healthcare could have benefits that extend well beyond reproductive health, she added.
Anisur Rahman, senior director of the Maternal and Child Health Division at icddr,b, said premature or early menopause should be recognised as an important marker of women’s future health, not simply a reproductive milestone.
He said the findings highlight that early menopause affects a substantial proportion of Bangladeshi women, highlighting the need to integrate menopause history into routine healthcare.
The researchers called for greater investment in girls’ education, stronger efforts to prevent child marriage, improved access to quality reproductive healthcare, and prospective research to better understand the biological and social pathways leading to premature or early menopause.