Early menopause association with employment, smoking, divorced marital status and low leptin levels.
OBJECTIVE
The aims of this study were (1) to investigate the determining risk factors related to early menopause and (2) to compare the relationships between demographic characteristics and hormonal status and leptin levels in subjects with early (no surgical) and natural menopause.


METHODS
The prospective study was conducted on 500 women with early and 2700 women with natural menopause. Detailed information was collected about their employment status, past and present smoking habits, coffee and alcohol use, educational level and other factors relevant to health. Thirty participants with early menopause and 30 participants with natural menopause were evaluated for hormone and leptin levels.


RESULTS
Employment status (OR: 1.94), current smoking (OR: 1.80) and divorced marital status (OR: 1.79) were found to be significant risk factors for early menopause. Mean levels of leptin in natural and early menopause were measured 11.40 ± 4.1 ng/ml and 8.01 ± 3.9 ng/ml, respectively (p = 0001). Leptin levels in the early (r = 0.765, p = 0.001) and natural (r = 0.750, p = 0.001) menopause subjects correlated positively with oestradiol (E2) levels.


CONCLUSIONS
This study shows that early onset of menopause is correlated with smoking, employment status, divorced marital status and lower leptin levels.
Ege University Faculty, Department of Geriatrics, Ege University School of Medicine, Bornova, Izmir, Izmir 35100, Turkey. fuldensarac@yahoo.com
Fulden
F
Saraç
Kemal
K
Öztekin
Gürbüz
G
Çelebi
D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004243:Divorce / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D008594:Menopause, Premature / Q000097:blood / Q000208:ethnology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology
D020738:Leptin