Context: Ages at menarche and menopause are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, and osteoporosis in Caucasian women, but associations remain unexplored in Chinese women.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess associations between age at menarche and menopause with CVD, diabetes, and osteoporosis in Chinese women.
Design and setting: A cross-sectional, population-based study was conducted in Fujian, China, from June 2011 to January 2012.
Participants: Among 6242 women aged 21 to 92 years, 3304 postmenopausal women were enrolled, excluding premenopausal women (n = 2527), those with unreported ages at menarche and menopause (n = 138), those with unrecorded physical measurements (n = 203), and those with menarche age <8 years or >20 years (n = 70).
Main outcome measures: An oral glucose tolerance test, a 12-lead resting electrocardiogram, and calcaneus quantitative ultrasound were performed.
Results: No significant associations were found between menarche age, diabetes, and osteoporosis (both P > .05); later menarche (>18 years) was significantly associated with lower CVD risk (odds ratio = 0.71, 95% confidence interval, 0.57-0.89; P = .002). Menopause age was not associated with diabetes; higher menopause age was associated with decreasing CVD risk (P for trend = .020) and earlier menopause (≤46 years) with significantly higher osteoporosis risk (odds ratio = 1.59, 95% confidence interval, 1.07-2.36; P = .023).
Conclusions: In China, ages at menarche and menopause are not associated with diabetes. Later menarche and menopause are associated with decreasing CVD risk and earlier menopause with higher osteoporosis risk. Menarche and menopause history may help identify women with increased risk of developing CVD and osteoporosis.