title: Chronic medical conditions and reproducibility of self-reported age at menopause among community-dwelling women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to examine the association between chronic medical conditions and reproducibility of self-reported age at menopause among community-dwelling women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Age at menopause was assessed in a population-based longitudinal survey of 240 women twice, in 1993 and 2004. Women who recalled age at menopause in 2004 within 1 year or less of age at menopause recalled in 1993 (concordant) were compared with women who did not recall age at menopause in 2004 within 1 year of age at menopause recalled in 1993 (discordant). Type of menopause (surgical or natural) and chronic medical conditions were assessed by self-report.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred forty-three women (59.6%) reported surgical menopause, and 97 (40.4%) reported natural menopause. In all, 130 (54.2%) women recalled age at menopause in 2004 within 1 year or less of recalled age at menopause in 1994, whereas 110 (45.8%) women did not recall age at menopause in 2004 within 1 year or less of recalled age at menopause in 1994. Among the women with surgical menopause, the women with three or more medical conditions were less likely to have concordant recall of age at menopause than the women with less than three chronic medical conditions (adjusted odds ratio, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.15-0.91) in multivariate models controlling for potentially influential characteristics including cognition and years since menopause.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among women who underwent surgical menopause, the presence of three or more medical conditions is associated with decreased reproducibility of self-reported age at menopause.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Heather F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: de Vries
authors.forename: Gina M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Northington
authors.forename: Elise M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Kaye
authors.forename: Hillary R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Bogner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008593:Menopause; D008594:Menopause, Premature; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010052:Ovariectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000523:psychology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D057566:Self Report