Dr. Hameed Adediran, a public health expert, has attributed the rising incidence of early menopause among contemporary women primarily to significant lifestyle changes, particularly a decline in childbirth rates compared to previous generations.
Adediran, who serves as the Senior Programme Manager and Team Lead of Menstrual Health Initiatives at Population Services International (PSI) Nigeria, shared this insight on Friday in Lagos.
He was speaking at the opening session of a two-day capacity-building workshop for media practitioners and social media influencers, organized by PSI Nigeria to enhance public understanding of menstrual health and bridge the gap between science, storytelling, and social change.
Dr. Adediran explained that a female is born with approximately 1 to 2 million eggs, but only about 400 are typically released during a woman’s reproductive lifespan.
He stated that each monthly menstruation involves the loss of a potential egg.
However, during pregnancy, ovulation and menstruation naturally cease for about nine months, and can remain paused for another six months due to breastfeeding, effectively conserving eggs for roughly 15 months per child.
He highlighted that in past generations, especially in many African cultures, women commonly had four to six children.
This pattern of childbearing resulted in several years of paused menstruation, thereby preserving more eggs and consequently delaying the onset of menopause.
Adediran calculated that “If a woman has five children and saves 15 months’ worth of eggs per child, that’s about 75 months—more than six years—of egg preservation.
This pattern helped many of our mothers and grandmothers reach menopause much later in life.”
He illustrated that if a woman has approximately 400 viable eggs to be released over her lifetime, starting menstruation at age 15 would theoretically lead to menopause around 48 to 50 years (400 eggs divided by 12 months/year equals 33.3 years of menstruation, plus the 15 years until menarche).
However, in contrast, he noted that “in today’s world, many women choose to have one or two children, or sometimes none.
This means that menstruation continues uninterrupted, month after month, leading to a quicker depletion of the available egg supply, and ultimately, an earlier onset of menopause.”
While acknowledging that other factors such as genetics, health conditions, and environmental toxins can also influence menopause, Dr. Adediran emphasized that the shift in reproductive patterns due to modernization and urban lifestyles is a crucial contributing factor.
He urged the media to play a vital role in educating the public on the biological and social implications of reproductive choices, particularly concerning menstrual health and long-term wellness.
He stressed, “This is about understanding the full picture of how modern lifestyles impact women’s health—physically, emotionally, and biologically.”
The workshop included interactive sessions on demystifying menstrual myths, responsible storytelling, and promoting access to menstrual health products and education.
Participants also discussed strategies for improving public awareness through media advocacy and digital engagement.
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