Bertone-Johnson ER, et al. - In view of the evidence supporting a role for inflammation in early menopause from studies of women with autoimmune conditions and genetic studies, researchers evaluated the association of inflammatory markers and risk of early menopause. The relation of the soluble fraction of tumor necrosis factor alpha receptor 2 (sTNFR2), C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 (IL6) levels with the incident early menopause was assessed among Nurses’ Health Study II participants who provided a premenopausal blood sample in 1996 to 1999. Women with moderate sTNFR2 levels showed a lower risk of early menopause than women with lower and higher levels. C-reactive protein and IL6 levels showed no relation to the risk.