Comparison of the effects of surgical and natural menopause on carotid intima media thickness, osteoporosis, and homocysteine levels.
OBJECTIVE
Menopause is associated with increased cardiovascular risk factors. We designed this study to compare common carotid artery intima media thickness (IMT) and homocysteine level between women who had natural menopause and those who had surgical menopause and to correlate IMT, bone mineral density (BMD), and homocysteine level with time since menopause.


METHODS
Ninety healthy postmenopausal women aged 50 to 78 years who were not on hormone therapy (45 women who did not have a prior hysterectomy or oophorectomy and 45 women who had undergone hysterectomy with bilateral oophorectomy) were included in the study. B-mode ultrasonography of the carotid artery, BMD, and serum homocysteine level analysis were completed to evaluate the relationship between type of menopause, time since menopause, and subclinical atherosclerosis.


RESULTS
Mean ± SD carotid artery IMT measurements were 0.72 ± 0.002 mm among women experiencing natural menopause and 0.88 ± 0.003 mm among women having bilateral oophorectomy (P = 0.002). After adjusting for time since menopause and age, the mean IMT also differed between the two groups: 0.76 ± 0.003 mm in the natural menopause group and 0.84 ± 0.003 mm in the bilateral oophorectomy group (P = 0.038). The age-adjusted carotid IMT was significantly positively associated with years since menopause (P = 0.001). Mean homocysteine measurements were 10.3 ± 5 μmol/L among women experiencing natural menopause and 9.1 ± 4 μmol/L among women who had bilateral oophorectomy (P = 0.216). Age-adjusted femur total, trochanter, and shaft BMDs were significantly lower in the surgical menopause group (P = 0.041, P = 0.034, and P = 0.046, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Oophorectomy before natural menopause increases IMT but not homocysteine levels independent of age and time since menopause and is associated with lower BMD values after adjustment for age.
Özkaya
Enis
E
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Sami Ulus Maternity and Women's Health Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. enozkaya1979@gmail.com
Cakir
Evrim
E
Okuyan
Erhan
E
Cakir
Caner
C
Ustün
Gülnihal
G
Küçüközkan
Tuncay
T
D000368:Aged; D015519:Bone Density; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007044:Hysterectomy; D016014:Linear Models; D008593:Menopause / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D010052:Ovariectomy; D017698:Postmenopause; D011859:Radiography; D012307:Risk Factors; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D014463:Ultrasonography
D006710:Homocysteine