Warring genes could be the cause of hot flushes (pictured) that menopausal women can experience, scientists said
Warring genes could be the cause of the mood swings and hot flushes women experience when going through menopause, according to scientists.
Researchers from the UK and Japan discovered that a woman’s genes are conflicted during the menopause, explaining why some women suffer from side effects, including night sweats.
The study will be used help the development of personalised family planning and preventative medicine for treating heart problems and even some cancers.
The conflict of interest within a woman’s genome could explain why the menopausal transition can be difficult for some women.
Current evolutionary theory suggests that the menopause was favoured among our ancestors because it let women focus on bringing up their relatives’ children, with whom they shared genes in common.
'But our ecology meant that a woman would typically be more related to her neighbours through her father than through her mother', Dr Andy Gardner, an evolutionary biologist at the University of St Andrews explained.
'So while the genes she got from her father would be happy for her to give up her reproduction in this way, the genes she got from her mother would be less happy, he said.
Francisco Ubeda, from the Royal Holloway University, London, who carried out the study with St Andrews University and Sokendai, the Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Japan, said: ‘The woman's paternal genes are pushing for an earlier menopause, while her maternal genes are trying to stall the process.
‘Our mathematical model predicts that this conflict will lead to chaotic gene expression regulated by epigenetic factors, which is when gene expression is determined by factors other than the underlying DNA sequence.’
The possibility that the genes underpinning menopause are epigenetically regulated (change regardless of the DNA sequence) can help researchers identify genetic markers for associated disorders, such as cardiovascular disease and certain cancers.
The research, which will be published in the journal Ecology Letters, could also help doctors decide which methods of family planning to prescribe according to a woman's genetic background.
The study will be used to inform the development of personalised family planning (the pill is pictured) and preventative medicine for treating cardiovascular problems and even some cancers
‘Choosing if and when to start a family is one of the biggest decisions that we have to make in our lives,’ said Dr Ubeda.
‘Having better, individualised information about when our fertility is likely to tail off will help avoid anxiety and make sure that people don't leave it too late,’ he added.
In the UK, the average age for a woman to reach the menopause is 52, although women can experience the menopause in their 30s or 40s.
Menopause is the end of menstruation, which means a woman's ovaries stop producing an egg every four weeks.
She will no longer have a monthly period or be able to have children.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2520861/Revealed-Why-menopause-causes-awful-mood-swings--parents-genes-FIGHTING-other.html#ixzz2n1NddtpN
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