Did your mom smoke when she was pregnant for you? If she did, it's possible that you will have an earlier menopause than someone whose mother didn't smoke. Researchers in Boston followed over 4000 women through menopause and obtained detailed histories, including whether they were exposed to prenatal cigarette smoke. Women whose mother smoked were 21% more likely to be postmenopause at any given age than unexposed women.

It's hard to say exactly what the link is, but one theory is that prenatal exposure to smoking has an effect on follicle production and thereby plays a role in your age at menopause. One interesting note was that this affect on menopause timing held for women who were not smokers themselves, but not for women who smoked. It's long been known that smokers tend to go through menopause up to two years earlier than non-smokers. But smoking seems to have an effect on menopause age even if your "smoking" happened in utero. So talk to your mom, and ask whether she smoked while she was pregant. And if you were a smoker during your own pregnancy, give your daughter a heads up.

Photo courtesy Daniel Berehulak/Staff, Getty Images