Im only 38 years old and Im already starting menopause. My gynecologist says it may be because Im a fragile X premutation carrier. Is she right?
It is true that being a premutation carrier puts you at higher risk for premature menopause. Approximately 20% of females who are fragile X premutation carriers experience premature menopause (loss of menses before age 40), as opposed to 6% in the general population. Interestingly enough, full mutation carriers (or girls with fragile X syndrome) are not at a higher risk for fragile X syndrome. Even when occurring after age 40, the age of onset for menopause in premutation carriers can occur 6-8 years earlier than in women in the general population. 20. My father is starting to develop a tremor which the doctors think could be Parkinson’s disease. I read somewhere that male fragile X premutation carriers are at risk for neurological problems. Is Parkinson’s one of them? Older males who are fragile X premutation carriers are indeed at risk for a combination of neurological problems called fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS).
