title: Heritability of menopausal age in mothers and daughters.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the heritability of age at natural menopause from mother-daughter pairs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two-generation families were selected to study heritability of menopausal age.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects were drawn from a population-based study.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred sixty-four mother-daughter pairs with a natural menopausal age.
  
  
  METHODS
  None.
  
  
  METHODS
  The heritability of age at natural menopause estimated by a random-effects model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A heritability of 44% (95% confidence interval, 36%, 50%) was estimated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study confirms that heritable components largely determine the natural age at menopause. Reasons for the differences between heritability estimates based on sibling pairs and parent-child comparisons are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Kristel M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: van Asselt
authors.forename: Helen S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kok
authors.forename: Peter L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Pearson
authors.forename: Judith S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Dubas
authors.forename: Petra H M
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Peeters
authors.forename: Egbert R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Te Velde
authors.forename: Paulus A H
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: van Noord
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause / Q000235:genetics*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009035:Mothers; D009679:Nuclear Family