Gene links eyelids and early menopause

Researchers have identified a single gene that when mutated may trigger premature menopause. The scientists found the mutant gene in men and women with blepharophimosis, an inherited disorder characterized by droopy eyelids. Women with this disorder are infertile.

In an example of Mother Nature’s often puzzling sense of organization, the normal form of the gene, dubbed FOXL2, orchestrates both ovary and eyelid development.