Racial and regional differences in age at menopause in the United States: findings from the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study

Abstract

Objectives To examine regional and Black-White differences in mean age at self-reported menopause among community-dwelling women in the US. Study Design Cross-sectional survey conducted in the context of the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke and Myocardial Infarction study. Results We studied 22,484 menopausal women. After controlling for covariates, Southern women reported menopause 10.8 months earlier than Northeastern women, 8.4 months earlier than Midwestern women, and 6.0 months earlier than Western women (p<0.05 for all). No difference was observed in menopausal age between Black and White women after controlling for covariates (p=0.69). Conclusions Women in the South report earlier menopause than those in other regions, but the cause remains unclear. Our study's large sample size and adjustment for multiple confounders lends weight to our finding of no racial difference in age at menopause. More study is needed of the implications of these findings with regard to vascular health.

Factors associated with the age of natural menopause and menopausal symptoms in Chinese women

“…The direction of our results regarding parity is consistent with previous reports [5,20,24]. Incessant ovulation in nulliparity may be an important reason accounting for earlier onset of menopause.…”

“…The SWAN (Study of Women's Health Across the Nation) suggested that the age at natural menopause was 51.4 years in a cohort study of 2247 women in a multiethnic sample of midlife women [5]. The present study showed that the overall median age of natural menopause was 50 years, which is similar to the McKnight's results [20] but earlier than the previously reported age of 50.6 [21]. Although menopause is a medical condition as a natural transition in the life cycle, it is very important for women to be aware of the adverse aspects of menopause, and prompted to seek prevention and treatment measures for their health.…”

“…Age at natural menopausal and menopausal symptom frequency and severity may vary according to racial and ethnic groups [5,[19][20][21][22]. Castelo-Branco et al [19] reported that the age at menopause was earlier in Latin America compared to that in Table 3 Frequency of menopausal symptoms assessed by the KMI according to menopausal status.…”

Menopause: Cross-Cultural Considerations

“…In a cross-sectional survey of 22,484 women, after controlling for covariates, it was noted that women from the Southern part of the United States reported menopause 10.8 months earlier than Northeastern women, 8.4 months earlier than midwestern women, and 6.0 months earlier than western women ( p <0.05) [ 38 ]. The cause for this effect is not known.…”

“…McKnight et al [ 38 ] in 2011 found similar fi ndings to Gold in that no racial difference in age at menopause was shown between black and Caucasian women after covariates were controlled for in a crosssectional survey of 22,484 women in the United States [ 37 ]. A study of 17,070 women aged 35-55 years found African American women had earlier onset of natural menopause, and this was strongly associated with smoking and inversely associated with body mass index and oral contraceptive use [ 39 ].…”