Study on the relationship between the age at natural menopause and postmenopausal metabolic syndrome

Abstract

To explore the relationship between the early or delayed age at natural menopause and metabolic syndrome (MS) in women. A total of 4 734 natural menopausal women who completed the baseline survey from November 2017 to January 2020 in the Guangzhou Middle-aged and Elderly Chronic Disease Prospective Cohort Study were selected in this cross-sectional study. Data on general demographic characteristics, disease history and female physiological health indicators were collected. Logistic regression model and restricted cubic spline curve were used to analyze the relationship between the age at natural menopause and MS. The results showed that the mean age of the subjects was (60±6) years old. The median (Q1,Q3) age at natural menopause was 50 (49, 52) years old, and the prevalence of MS was 14.8%(699/4 734). After adjusting for confounders, the age at natural menopause was closely related to MS in an approximate"U"shape. Compared with the group of normal age at natural menopause, the early age at menopause (OR=1.52, 95%CI: 1.12-2.06) and delayed age at menopause (OR=1.77, 95%CI: 1.36-2.30) had a higher risk of MS. In the group with time since menopause ≤6 years and 7-9 years, the risk of MS in the group with delayed age at menopause was 2.40 times (95%CI: 1.54-3.75) and 2.19 times (95%CI: 1.11-4.31) higher than that in the group with normal menopausal age, respectively. In conclusion, the early and delayed age at natural menopause increased the risk of MS. The increased risk of MS in delayed age at natural menopause mainly occurred within 10 years since menopause.