title: Age at menopause and childbearing patterns in relation to mortality.
abstract: Several studies have reported increased mortality risk with early natural menopause. More recently, mortality risk was reported to be reduced among women who gave birth at age > or =40 years. The association between reproductive history and mortality was explored among 826 women in a prospective study involving 18,959 person-years of follow-up (from age 50 to 1990-1991) and 108 deaths. After adjustment for age and other covariates, the risk ratio among parous women was 1.53 (95% confidence interval: 0.58, 4.07) for natural menopause at age < or =45 years compared with > or =51 years. In contrast to a previous report, however, the highest estimated mortality risk was seen among women who gave birth in their forties (adjusted risk ratio = 2.14, 95% confidence interval: 1.05, 4.38) compared with having a last birth at ages 30-34 years.
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangel Park, NC 27709, USA.
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Baird
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Weinberg
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ephross
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Sandler
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008423:Maternal Age; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017584:Reproductive History; D012306:Risk; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology