Cancer study sheds new light on premature menopause

Around two per cent of women with primary ovarian insufficiency €“ the medical term for a permanent halt in menstruation occurring naturally before the age of 40 €“ are affected by changes to a particular gene, a study has shown. The study, led by Dr Anna Murray at the University of Exeter and including researchers from The Institute of Cancer Research, London, found that changes to the gene FMR1 are responsible for a smaller proportion of cases of primary ovarian insufficiency than some previous studies had suggested. This was the first study of women from the general population rather than