system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Is there any evidence to suggest that using birth control for a long period of time would delay the onset of menopause?

It is my (perhaps flawed) understanding that menopause begins when the female body runs out of eggs. It is also my (again, perhaps flawed) understanding that birth control prevents the release of eggs.

So would someone who started and consistently used birth control at 16 end up going through menopause later than someone who started at 24 or someone who never used birth control at all?
gpt
Women have hundreds of thousands of eggs, running out of eggs is not the concern. The concern is as women age, follicles either are released or die. The decrease in follicle count and corresponding hormone levels account for menopause. The aging process still affects follicles even if they're not released. It is possible to undergo menopause while actively taking birth control; it's even possible for BC to mask the symptoms of menopause.