Menopause: Is life expectancy changing?

Is life expectancy changing?

Life-expectancy (average lifespan) of women in England andWales in 1900 was 50.1years. It follows that more than half the female population never reached their menopause. By 1950, life-expectancy had risen to 71.1years and in 1990 it reached 79.2 years. This 60% increase in life-expectancy through the twentieth century is typical throughout the industrialised countries. These life-expectancy figures are calculated from birth. A woman currently aged 60 has a life expectancy of a further 22.6 years (Figure 26.1). Nowadays, most women are destined to spend more than a third of their lives beyond the menopause. We now have 10 million postmenopausal women in theUnited Kingdom .

A recent television advertisement promoting pensions made the following observation. “In 1954, the queen sent her congratulations to 300 people on reaching the age of one hundred. Last year there were three thousand and by the year 2034 there will be many thousands”. To quote our national anthem, “Long live the Queen”.

The following table shows the improved life expectancy in the USA:

	All races			White			Black or African American¹

Specified age and year	Both sexes	Male	Female	Both sexes	Male	Female	Both sexes	Male	Female


At birth	Remaining life expectancy in years
1900^2,3	47.3	46.3	48.3	47.6	46.6	48.7	33.0	32.5	33.5
1950³	68.2	65.6	71.1	69.1	66.5	72.2	60.8	59.1	62.9
1960³	69.7	66.6	73.1	70.6	67.4	74.1	63.6	61.1	66.3
1970	70.8	67.1	74.7	71.7	68.0	75.6	64.1	60.0	68.3
1980	73.7	70.0	77.4	74.4	70.7	78.1	68.1	63.8	72.5
1990	75.4	71.8	78.8	76.1	72.7	79.4	69.1	64.5	73.6
1995	75.8	72.5	78.9	76.5	73.4	79.6	69.6	65.2	73.9
1996	76.1	73.1	79.1	76.8	73.9	79.7	70.2	66.1	74.2
1997	76.5	73.6	79.4	77.1	74.3	79.9	71.1	67.2	74.7
1998	76.7	73.8	79.5	77.3	74.5	80.0	71.3	67.6	74.8
1999	76.7	73.9	79.4	77.3	74.6	79.9	71.4	67.8	74.7
2000	77.0	74.3	79.7	77.6	74.9	80.1	71.9	68.3	75.2
2001	77.2	74.4	79.8	77.7	75.0	80.2	72.2	68.6	75.5
2002	77.3	74.5	79.9	77.7	75.1	80.3	72.3	68.8	75.6
2003	77.5	74.8	80.1	78.0	75.3	80.5	72.7	69.0	76.1
At 65 years
1950³	13.9	12.8	15.0	- - -	12.8	15.1	13.9	12.9	14.9
1960³	14.3	12.8	15.8	14.4	12.9	15.9	13.9	12.7	15.1
1970	15.2	13.1	17.0	15.2	13.1	17.1	14.2	12.5	15.7
1980	16.4	14.1	18.3	16.5	14.2	18.4	15.1	13.0	16.8
1990	17.2	15.1	18.9	17.3	15.2	19.1	15.4	13.2	17.2
1995	17.4	15.6	18.9	17.6	15.7	19.1	15.6	13.6	17.1
1996	17.5	15.7	19.0	17.6	15.8	19.1	15.8	13.9	17.2
1997	17.7	15.9	19.2	17.8	16.0	19.3	16.1	14.2	17.6
1998	17.8	16.0	19.2	17.8	16.1	19.3	16.1	14.3	17.4
1999	17.7	16.1	19.1	17.8	16.1	19.2	16.0	14.3	17.3
2000	18.0	16.2	19.3	18.0	16.3	19.4	16.2	14.2	17.7
2001	18.1	16.4	19.4	18.2	16.5	19.5	16.4	14.4	17.9
2002	18.2	16.6	19.5	18.2	16.6	19.5	16.6	14.6	18.0
2003	18.4	16.8	19.8	18.5	16.9	19.8	17.0	14.9	18.5
At 75 years
1980	10.4	8.8	11.5	10.4	8.8	11.5	9.7	8.3	10.7
1990	10.9	9.4	12.0	11.0	9.4	12.0	10.2	8.6	11.2
1995	11.0	9.7	11.9	11.1	9.7	12.0	10.2	8.8	11.1
1996	11.1	9.8	12.0	11.1	9.8	12.0	10.3	9.0	11.2
1997	11.2	9.9	12.1	11.2	9.9	12.1	10.7	9.3	11.5
1998	11.3	10.0	12.2	11.3	10.0	12.2	10.5	9.2	11.3
1999	11.2	10.0	12.1	11.2	10.0	12.1	10.4	9.2	11.1
2000	11.4	10.1	12.3	11.4	10.1	12.3	10.7	9.2	11.6
2001	11.5	10.2	12.4	11.5	10.2	12.3	10.8	9.3	11.7
2002	11.5	10.3	12.4	11.5	10.3	12.3	10.9	9.5	11.7
2003	11.8	10.5	12.6	11.7	10.5	12.6	11.4	9.8	12.4

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.rid=healthus05. Table.375)

Related Medical Abstracts - Click on the paper title:-

Office for National Statistics and Government Actuary's Department (2006-01)
Changes in life expectancy 1900-1990 (1992)

Please click on the required question.

Q 26. 1 What will happen to me at my menopause?
Q 26. 2 Why does nature put women through the menopause?
Q 26. 3 Is life-expectancy changing?
Q 26. 4 What happens to my reproductive hormones at the menopause?
Q 26. 5 What non-hormonal changes occur at the menopause?
Q 26. 6 What problems might I have as a result of my menopause?
Q 26. 7 When am I likely to reach my menopause?
Q 26. 8 What is a premature menopause?
Q 26. 9 What are hot flushes and will HRT reduce them?
Q 26. 10 What causes hot flushes and night sweats?
Q 26. 11 Can my bladder problems be related to the menopause?
Q 26. 12 Can the menopause be associated with psychological problems.
Q 26. 13 How long can my menopausal (climacteric) symptoms last?
Q 26. 14 Is there a test that will accurately determine when my menopause has occurred?
Q 26. 15 Is it normal to experience heavy periods before the menopause?
Q 26. 16 How are heavy periods around the time of the menopause treated?
Q 26. 17 Is there a need to investigate vaginal bleeding after the menopause (postmenopausal bleeding)?
Q 26. 18 What could be the cause of vaginal bleeding after the menopause?
Q 26. 19 What is atrophic vaginitis?
Q 26. 20 What local genital symptoms can be associated with the menopause?
Q 26. 21 I have gone through the menopause and now have some bleeding (postmenopausal bleeding PMB). What will my gynaecologist wish to do?
Q 26. 22 Could I have any other long-term medical problems resulting from my menopause?
Q 26. 23 What is coronary heart disease?
Q 26. 24 What is osteoporosis?
Q 26. 25 Where else can I obtain further information?
Q 26. 26 Could I have some recommended menopause support groups.

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