Country of birth, country of residence, and menopausal transitions and symptoms: British birth cohort and Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health.
OBJECTIVE
To explore endocrine-related and general symptoms among three groups of middle-aged women defined by country of birth and country of residence, in the context of debates about biological, cultural and other factors in menopause.


METHODS
British-born women participating in a British birth cohort study (n=1,362) and age-matched Australian-born (n=1,724) and British-born (n=233) Australian women selected from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH) responded to two waves of surveys at ages 48 and 50.


RESULTS
Australian-Australian and British-Australian women report reaching menopause later than British-British women, even after accounting for smoking status and parity. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use was lower and hysterectomy was more common among both Australian groups, probably reflecting differences in health services between Britain and Australia. The Australian-Australian and British-Australian groups were more likely to report endocrine-related symptoms than the British-British group, even after adjusting for menopausal status. British-British women were more likely to report some general symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
Symptom reporting is high among Australian and British midlife women and varies by country of residence, country of birth and menopausal status.


CONCLUSIONS
The data do not support either a simple cultural or a simple biological explanation for differences in menopause experience.
Lee
Christina
C
School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia. c.lee@psy.uq.edu.au
Mishra
Gita
G
Kuh
Diana
D
D001315:Australia; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016387:Women's Health