Abstract MP25: Is Surgical Menopause Associated With Future Cardiovascular Risk Factors Independent Of Antecedent Levels? The Cardia Study

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare changes in selected CVD risk factors prior to and after natural or surgical (hysterectomy with or without bilateral oophorectomy) menopause. Methods: Data were obtained from women aged 18 to 30 years at baseline without hysterectomy enrolled in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study and followed for 25 years. Piecewise linear mixed effects models were used to examine changes in waist circumference (WC) and HDL-cholesterol (HDL-c) from baseline to index visit (first visit after the date of natural or surgical menopause) and after index visit to the end of observation. Results: During follow up, 639 women reached natural menopause (NM), 304 reported hysterectomy with one or both ovaries conserved (HO) and 153 reported hysterectomy with bilateral oophorectomy (HBO). Baseline mean values of WC were 73.9, 76.4, 75.9 cm, p=0.005 for NM, HO, and HBO respectively while those for HDL-c were 57.6, 54.6, 54.2 mg/dL, p=0.001. After adjustment for race, education, field center, traditional CVD risk factors, lipid-lowering medication, age at and time since menopause, the mean values of WC at the index visit were 88.8, 92.4, 92.0 cm, p=0.001 for NM, HO, and HBO respectively while those for HDL-c were 61.5, 57.0, 57.8 mg/dL, p=0.006. Compared to women with natural menopause, surgically menopausal women (regardless of ovarian status) had higher annual rate of change for WC (0.74 vs. 0.63 cm, p=0.002) as well as lower rate of change for HDL-c (0.15 vs. 0.30 mg/dL, p=0.001) from baseline to index visit. No statistically significant differences in the annual rate of change after index visit to the end of follow up were observed between these two groups for either WC or HDL-c. Conclusion: While surgical menopause is commonly believed to worsen CVD risk, in this population-based sample, we found that women who undergo hysterectomy with or without bilateral oophorectomy had more adverse values for central adiposity and lipids at baseline compared to women with natural menopause. However, antecedent risk factor levels were strongly associated with postmenopausal levels in all women.