Age at menopause in Latin America

Abstract

The AM varies widely in Latin America. Lower income and related poverty conditions influence the onset of menopause.

Menopause: Cross-Cultural Considerations

“…In a study involving 17,150 healthy women surveyed from 15 Latin American countries, the median age of menopause was reported as 48.6 years and the mean age was 49.4 ± 5.5 [ 45 ]. The onset ranged from 53 years in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia) to 43.8 years in Asuncion (Paraguay) [ 45 ].…”

“…The onset ranged from 53 years in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia) to 43.8 years in Asuncion (Paraguay) [ 45 ]. Further it was found that women living at or above 2,000 m and those with lower levels of education were more prone to an earlier menopause [ 45 ]. In a survey of 4,548 women across all regions in Mexico, the mean age at menopause was 47.9 ± 3.82 years [ 46 ], while the median age at menopause was reported to be 50 years in a study comprising 4,056 women in seven cities within Latin America and the Caribbean [ 47 ].…”

“…In a study involving 17,150 healthy women surveyed from 15 Latin American countries, the median age of menopause was reported as 48.6 years and the mean age was 49.4 ± 5.5 [ 45 ]. The onset ranged from 53 years in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia) to 43.8 years in Asuncion (Paraguay) [ 45 ]. Further it was found that women living at or above 2,000 m and those with lower levels of education were more prone to an earlier menopause [ 45 ].…”

Cross-cultural comparisons

“…Mario Carlos Gonzalez presented a 15-country cross-sectional study of age at menopause in Latin America, where the following data were collected using a structured questionnaire: age, education, health care, smoking habits, use of hormone therapy, use of oral contraception, gross national product, altitude, and presence or absence of menstruation. 22 Mishra et al 23 (this issue) used data from a prospective longitudinal study to consider the effect of early life factors such as breastfeeding and birthweight, childhood factors such as parental divorce, and adult factors such as smoking status and parity on women's age at menopause.…”

Manejo terapéutico de la sintomatología climatérica

“…La menopausia ha sido definida por la Sociedad Internacional de Menopausia como el cese permanente de la menstruación en la mujer, suceso determinado por la disminución de la producción hormonal consecuencia del agotamiento folicular ovárico, siendo los 50 años la edad promedio para que ocurra, con límites que oscilan entre los 42 y 56 años (1)(2)(3) . Este evento de la vida de la mujer está inserto en el climaterio, periodo que representa un proceso de adaptación y transición desde una etapa reproductiva a un estado no reproductivo (3) , que transcurre en promedio entre 2 y 8 años antes de la fecha de la menopausia y finaliza 2 a 6 años posterior a esta (4)(5) .…”