title: Association of female reproductive factors with body composition: the Framingham Heart Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Identifying reproductive risk factors in women offers a life course approach to obesity and cardiovascular disease prevention. The association of female reproductive factors with measures of regional body fat distribution has not been comprehensively studied.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined the association of female reproductive factors (age at menarche, parity, age at natural menopause, menopausal status) in association with body composition data from women who participated in the Offspring and the Third Generation Framingham Heart Study cohorts. Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and sc adipose tissue (SAT) were measured volumetrically by multidetector computerized tomography. We modeled the relationship between each fat depot and female reproductive factors after adjusting for various factors such as age, smoking status, alcohol intake, physical activity index, hormone replacement therapy, and menopausal status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Earlier age at menarche was associated with increased body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), VAT, and SAT (P < 0.0001). This association of earlier menarche with adiposity measures was attenuated after adjusting for BMI (all P > 0.70). We observed no association between parity and all parameters of adiposity measurements (all P > 0.24). Similarly, age at natural menopause was not associated with measures of body composition. Despite higher mean BMI among the post- (BMI 27.3 kg/m(2)) compared with the premenopausal women (BMI 25.9 kg/m(2)) in an age-matched analysis, mean VAT was not different between the two groups (P = 0.30).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Earlier menarche is associated with overall obesity but not with VAT or SAT after accounting for measures of generalized adiposity. Parity and menopausal age were not associated with adiposity measures. Although postmenopausal women had increased BMI, VAT, and SAT, the association was predominantly due to age.
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Subbulaxmi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Trikudanathan
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pedley
authors.forename: Joseph M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Massaro
authors.forename: Udo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: Ellen W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Seely
authors.forename: Joanne M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Murabito
authors.forename: Caroline S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Fox
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology*; D050218:Body Fat Distribution; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000209:etiology*; D008593:Menopause / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D010298:Parity / Q000502:physiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology*; D012307:Risk Factors