Age of menopause of Chinese women in Taiwan

Abstract

Menopause has been studied in the West for about 30 years [1,2]. However recent papers show that different ethnic groups produce different findings [2]. Numerous studies have highlighted the features of menopausal age in different populations and countries, but there have been few on Chinese women [3]. Our study was conducted to determine the mean age of natural menopause of Chinese women in Taiwan and to examine some relevant factors affecting the age of menopause. During July to November 1991, face-to-face interview studies were conducted with 771 Chinese women between the ages of 40 and 60 years, who were randomly sampled from a community in Taipei, Taiwan. According to the criteria of menopause [2], only 124 women who ceased menstruation naturally at least 12 months prior to the interview and with no experience of hormone use were the subjects of this report. The current mean