Breakthrough jab could 'prevent' menopause and let you 'choose' when you start it

A new jab delaying menopause, and potentially preventing it altogether has been discovered by New York scientists.

The injection is designed to mimic a key hormone that starts to decline, initiating women to start the menopause process. When estrogen, progesterone, and anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) start to fall between the ages of 45 and 55, menopause starts.

However, scientists have begun to develop an injection that imitates AMH, meaning the entire process could be delayed, or completely prevented. Dr Daisy Robinton, from Oviva Therapeutics, told MailOnline: “This drug may not just delay the menopause — it could actually prevent it.”

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Speaking at the Livelong Summit in West Palm Beach, Florida, Dr Robinton said AMH could be used to slow how quickly eggs are lost and “extend the runway to the menopause”.

Dr Robinton said: “The ovaries age 2.5 times faster than the rest of the body and from the age of 35 to 50, they go through a rapid decline. At the age of 52, the menopause onset happens, with the loss of the ovaries causing the rest of the body to start to decline. AMH hormone controls the amount of lag time until the menopause and actually acts as a brake in females.”

This injection could act as an alternative to Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)medications, which some research has suggested can lead to an increased risk of breast cancer.

Menopause refers to a time when periods stop due to lower hormone levels. It tends to strike between the ages of 45 and 55, but it can also happen earlier, according to the NHS. Ovaries deteriorate with age as each period leads to the loss of 1000 follicles.

AMH is produced by your ovaries and gradually declines with age. Previous research suggested that patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which causes higher levels of AMH, tend to start menopause two years later.

The injection is currently being tested on mice and if successful human trials will follow in the next few years. Taken by injection every few months, the medication could mean that people could choose when they start menopause, or have some more control over the change.

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The researchers described this approach as “health empowerment” where patients are given the information, choice, and power to manage their own health with confidence.

They wrote in the Lancet: “Although management of symptoms is important, a medicalised view of menopause can be disempowering for women, leading to over-treatment and overlooking potential positive effects, such as better mental health with age and freedom from menstruation, menstrual disorders and contraception.”