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Unemployment Tied to Higher Death, Dementia Risk After Menopause

Women who go through early natural menopause and also face socioeconomic disadvantage, particularly unemployment, carry a significantly higher risk of death, dementia and cardiovascular disease than similar women who are not disadvantaged, according to a study published in Menopause, the journal of The Menopause Society, on 12 August 2026. Researchers followed nearly 20,000 women with early natural menopause, defined as periods stopping permanently before age 48, for a median of 10.8 years. Participants were grouped into favourable, medium and unfavourable categories across 14 social determinants of health, including employment, income, education and housing. Of every disadvantage studied, unemployment showed the strongest single association with both all-cause mortality and a later dementia diagnosis. Dr Stephanie Faubion, medical director of The Menopause Society, said the findings show that "socioeconomic disadvantages significantly amplify adverse health trajectories in women with premature and early menopause."

What the study can and cannot show

This is an observational analysis, so it cannot prove that unemployment itself causes the higher mortality and dementia risk seen in the data; women who are unemployed may differ from employed women in other ways the study did not fully capture, such as access to healthcare or chronic stress exposure. The study found no significant link between social disadvantage and cancer risk specifically, a distinction the researchers were careful to draw. The press release accompanying the paper did not report a funding source, and the population's country was not specified beyond the journal's international readership.

What this means for you

Early menopause is already linked to higher long-term health risk on its own; this study adds evidence that the size of that risk depends heavily on a woman's wider financial and social circumstances, not biology alone. It is a reminder that health and cost of living are not separate topics, particularly for women navigating ongoing supplement and healthcare spending through and after menopause. Perqen's vitamins and minerals range is one part of that spending many households already track, though none was assessed in this study.

How Perqen members save

Perqen members pay £4.99 a month or £29.99 a year for member pricing across all 1,393 products in stock, sourced through PowerBody, an authorised EU distributor. Full membership pricing details are published on the site.

This article reports published news and research and is for information only. Food supplements are not a substitute for a varied diet or medical care, and no product mentioned is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Speak to your GP or pharmacist before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking prescribed medicines.

Sources

Originally reported by The Menopause Society. This article has been reviewed by Dr Tosin.

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