Hypertension and age at onset of natural menopause in Korean postmenopausal women: Results from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2008-2013).
OBJECTIVE
Menopause is a natural phenomenon of aging, although the timing and management of menopause can significantly affect a woman's quality of life. It is therefore important to identify measures to ensure a healthy menopause. We set out to investigate the association between hypertension and early menopause in Korean women.


METHODS
This cross-sectional study was based on 2008-2013 data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Of the 53,829 participants surveyed, 13,584 women were selected. We analyzed the contents of the health interview, health examination, and nutrition survey.


METHODS
The main outcome was defined based on hazard ratios (HR) to identify the effects of hypertension on age at onset of menopause.


RESULTS
Among postmenopausal women (n=6650), the mean age at onset of menopause was 50.4 years. Premenopausal hypertension was statistically significantly associated with age at menopause, oral contraceptive usage, household income, education level, occupation, marital status and smoking and drinking habits. With lower age at diagnosis of hypertension, HRs for menopause tended to be higher, and hypertension diagnosed before age 40 years conferred a statistically significantly higher HR (Model 1, HR=2.32, 95% CI=1.87-2.88; Model 2, HR=2.31, 95% CI=1.86-2.86; Model 3, HR=2.23, 95% CI=1.80-2.77; Model 4, HR=2.00, 95% CI=1.52-2.63).


CONCLUSIONS
Premature menopause is strongly associated with lifestyle factors, in combination with incomplete management of chronic diseases. Our findings support the hypothesis that younger age at diagnosis of hypertension is associated with younger age at onset of menopause in Korean women.
Department of Interdisciplinary Program in Biomedical Science, Soonchunhyang University Graduate School, Asan, Republic of Korea; Department of Preventive Medicine, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Republic of Korea.
Hee-Sook
HS
Lim
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Bucheon, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: heeobgy@naver.com.
Tae-Hee
TH
Kim
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Bucheon, Republic of Korea.
Hae-Hyeog
HH
Lee
Department of Preventive Medicine, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Republic of Korea.
Yoon-Hyung
YH
Park
Department of Urology, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Bucheon, Republic of Korea.
Jun-Mo
JM
Kim
Department of Biostatistics Consulting, Soonchunhyang University Medical Center, Bucheon, Republic of Korea.
Bo-Ra
BR
Lee
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007182:Income; D008019:Life Style; D017533:Marital Status; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D011788:Quality of Life; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology
Hypertension; Menopause; Menstruation; Postmenopausal women; Premature menopause