Age at natural menopause in Beirut, Lebanon: the role of reproductive and lifestyle factors
- 1 January 2001
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Annals of Human Biology
- Vol. 28 (1) , 21-29
- https://doi.org/10.1080/03014460150201850
Abstract
Primary objective: To determine the median age of natural menopause and factors associated with the timing of menopause in Beirut, Lebanon. Research design: A population-based sample of 298 women were interviewed using a semistructured questionnaire. Methods and procedures: Logit analysis and logistic regression were used to estimate the median age and identify correlates of menopausal status. Main outcomes and results: The median age of natural menopause in Beirut, Lebanon is estimated to be 49.3 years. Not being currently married (odds ratio (OR) = 4.19, 95% CI: 1.53, 11.51) and smoking (OR = 1.02 for each year of smoking, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.05) are significantly associated with an earlier age at menopause. Women with menstrual bleeding longer than 5 days have later ages at menopause (OR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.26, 0.97). Age at menarche, parity, education and socio-economic status are not statistically associated with the age at menopause. Conclusions: The age at natural menopause in Lebanon is comparable to median ages reported for women in industrialized countries (49.3-51.4). Our results emphasize the role of smoking in determining an earlier age at menopause and indicate that reproductive characteristics affect the timing of menopause.Keywords
This publication has 12 references indexed in Scilit:
- Genetic influences on the age at menopauseThe Lancet, 1998
- The age and symptomatology of natural menopause among United Arab Emirates womenMaturitas, 1998
- Age at Natural Menopause and MortalityAnnals of Epidemiology, 1998
- An event history analysis of age at last menstrual period: correlates of natural and surgical menopause among midlife Wisconsin womenSocial Science & Medicine, 1998
- Age of natural menopause among women in Mexico cityInternational Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 1996
- The menopausal age and climacteric complaints in Thai women in BangkokMaturitas, 1993
- The normal menopause transitionAmerican Journal of Human Biology, 1992
- Features of menopause and menopausal age in Nigerian womenInternational Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 1990
- Menarche, pregnancy, birth spacing and menopause among the Agta women foragers of Cagayan Province, Luzon, the PhilippinesAnnals of Human Biology, 1985
- Ages at menopause and menarche in a high-altitude Himalayan populationAnnals of Human Biology, 1983