Smoking is associated with early menopause, a new study from Norwegian researchers has found. The team at Oslo University and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health said current smokers had a significantly increased risk of the menopause before 45. Smoking large numbers of cigarettes and smoking for a long time nearly doubled the odds of early menopause. Stopping smoking more than a decade before the menopause considerably reduced the risk. Coffee and alcohol consumption were not linked to early menopause, the study found.