About one in five women smoke. If you’re part of that 20
percent, I’m sure you’ve heard all the warnings and finger-
wagging about the health hazards of smoking. Maybe you’re tired
of hearing about all that bad stuff. Well, unfortunately, here’s
more bad news. Just view this post as informed consent rather
than yet another attempt to scare the bejeesus out of you. You
can ignore it—just don’t say we didn’t tell you. Several recent
studies on smoking and menopause have found that not only do
smokers enter menopause early by about a year or two, but also
that menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, are more intense.
The more you smoke, the greater your chances of early-onset
menopause. (Your odds are more than double, according to a 2007
study of 2,000 women in Oslo, Norway.) Researchers think that
smoking may affect hormonal levels or the secretion of enzymes
related to hormones. It may also activate certain genes that
trigger the onset of menopause. Early menopause is troubling
because it’s linked to heart d