Women who went through menopause before age 40 developed high blood pressure at higher rates than women whose menopause came after 45, in a study following 107,836 UK women for a median of about 15 years. Hypertension developed in 16.6 percent of women with menopause after 45, in 18.8 percent of those with early menopause between 40 and 45, and in 22.6 percent of those with premature menopause before 40. This is an observational cohort study, not a trial, and it cannot prove that early menopause causes high blood pressure. Among 107,836 UK women, hypertension developed in 22.6 percent with premature menopause, 18.8 percent with early menopause and 16.6 percent with menopause after 45. Does early menopause cause high blood pressure?