Is menopause affected by when I started my first period?

Nope. The timing of natural menopause depends more on your family history, body mass index (BMI), and environmental factors such as smoking. Women with a high BMI go through menopause later and smokers go through it earlier.

Menopause for each woman is not based on when she first started menstruating. It isn't based on how many years of menstruation, but more on family history. Talk with your close female relatives - mother, sister, aunt, or grandmother, and ask when they went through menopause. It may be helpful to talk about symptoms and any unusual issues that they may have had. These conversations may give you the most helpful insight on how menopause may affect you.