Climacteric status at age 46 is associated with poorer work ability, lower 2-year participation in working life, and a higher 7-year disability retirement rate: a Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 study.

OBJECTIVE: To study the association between an advanced climacteric status at 46 years of age and current perceived work ability, the consequent 2-year accumulation of disability and unemployment days, and the 7-year incidence of disability pensions. METHODS: Study participants (n = 2,661) were recruited from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 study's 46-year follow-up in 2012. The participants' perceived work ability was investigated using the Work Ability Score (0-7 = poor vs 8-10 = good), along with potential covariates. Data concerning their consequent disability days, unemployment days, and disability pensions were collected from national registers. The association between their climacteric status at age 46 years, work ability, and working life participation was assessed using regression models. RESULTS: The climacteric women were more often smokers and more often had a lower level of education. The odds ratio for poor perceived work ability was 1.41 (95% CI, 1.06-1.87), and the incidence rate ratios for disability and unemployment days during the 2-year follow-up were 1.09 (95% CI, 1.07-1.11) and 1.16 (95% CI, 1.14-1.18), respectively, for the climacteric women compared with the preclimacteric women in models adjusted for smoking and education. The 7-year hazard ratio for disability pensions was 1.72 (95% CI, 1.02-2.91) for the climacteric women. CONCLUSIONS: An earlier menopausal transition is associated with poorer perceived work ability, and it predicts lower recorded work participation and a higher disability pension rate in subsequent years.

Previous cancers in women diagnosed with premature ovarian insufficiency: A nationwide population-based case-control study.

INTRODUCTION: To investigate the occurrence of previous cancer diagnoses in women suffering from premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) and compare it with the general population, shedding light on the association between cancer, cancer treatments, and POI. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a nationwide case-control study based on registry data from various sources, including the Social Insurance Institution, Finnish Population Information System, and Finnish Cancer Registry spanning from 1953 to 2018. Our participants comprised all women in Finland who, between 1988 and 2017, received hormone replacement therapy reimbursement for ovarian insufficiency before the age of 40 years (n = 5221). Controls, matched in terms of age and municipality of residence, were selected from the Finnish Population Information System (n = 20 822). Our main exposure variable was a history of cancer diagnosis preceding the diagnosis of POI. We analyzed odds ratios (OR) to compare the prevalence of previous cancers in women with POI with that in controls, stratifying results based on cancer type, age at cancer diagnosis, and the time interval between cancer diagnosis and POI. We also assessed changes in OR for previous cancer diagnoses over the follow-up period. RESULTS: Out of the women diagnosed with POI, 21.9% had previously been diagnosed with cancer, resulting in an elevated OR of 36.5 (95% confidence interval [CI] 30.9 to 43.3) compared with 0.8% of the controls. The risk of developing POI was most pronounced during the first 2 years following a cancer diagnosis, with an OR of 103 (95% CI 74.1 to 144). Importantly, this risk remained elevated even when the time interval between cancer and POI exceeded 10 years, with an OR of 5.40 (95% CI 3.54 to 8.23). CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals that 21.9% of women with POI have a history of cancer, making the prevalence of cancer among these women 27.5 times higher than age-matched controls in the Finnish population. The risk of developing POI is most substantial in the first 2 years following a cancer diagnosis. These findings underscore the role of cancer treatments as an etiological factor for POI and emphasize the importance of recognizing the risk of POI in cancer survivors for early diagnosis and intervention.

Sleep disturbances in women with early-onset menopausal transition: a population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate sleep disturbances in 46-yr-old women and their association with early-onset menopausal transition. METHODS: The women of this cross-sectional birth cohort study were divided into climacteric (n = 359) and preclimacteric (n = 2,302) groups by their menopausal status, defined by follicle-stimulating hormone levels and menstrual history. Sleep disturbances were evaluated with Athens Insomnia Scale 5. We performed univariable and multivariable logistic regression models in which sleep parameters were dependent variables and climacteric status, hot flashes, smoking, and education level were independent variables. The use of hormone therapy was also evaluated in women suffering from sleeping disturbances. RESULTS: On the basis of the scale questions, climacteric women experienced significantly delayed sleep induction (12.2% vs 8.7%, P = 0.047), more problems with awakenings during the night (23.4% vs 14.6%, P < 0.001), earlier final awakening (13.8% vs 9.9%, P = 0.039), and more unsatisfying sleep quality (11.9% vs 7.9%, P = 0.023). Climacteric women who were experiencing hot flashes reported unsatisfactory sleep quality more frequently compared with climacteric women who did not experience hot flashes (17.0% vs 9.2%, P = 0.047). In the univariable and multivariable logistic regression models, being climacteric was independently associated with different impaired sleeping parameters. Most climacteric women who had a scale score of 4 or greater were not using hormone therapy, according to their medicine purchases over the past year. CONCLUSIONS: Being climacteric was associated with sleep disturbances in women in their mid-40s. However, this association seemed to be particularly driven by hot flashes. Most climacteric women with clinically significant sleeping disturbances were not using hormone therapy.

Climacteric status is associated with sexual dysfunction at the age of 46 years: a population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: Increasing age and menopausal transition increase the risk of sexual dysfunction. Sexual dysfunction is common in women experiencing menopause before the age of 40 years, whereas evidence on sexual function in women experiencing menopause in their mid-40s is scarce. We aimed to investigate sexual function in 46-year-old women in relation to their menopausal status. METHODS: This study cross-sectionally evaluated sexual function of women in a prospective population-based Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC1966). A 46-year follow-up study of NFBC1966 included a broad questionnaire evaluating health, lifestyle, and life situation, as well as menstrual history and sexual function, and blood sampling analysis including follicle stimulating hormone and free androgen index (FAI). The participants were divided into two groups by their menopause status, defined by follicle-stimulating hormone and menstrual history. We performed logistic regression models in which parameters of sexual function were dependent factors and climacteric status, self-reported health, FAI, relationship status, smoking, and education level were independent variables. RESULTS: The study population included 2,661 women. In regression models, more advanced climacteric status was associated with higher frequency and difficulty level of low sexual desire and vaginal dryness (odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals: 2.80 [2.12-3.71], 3.22 [2.43-4.27], 3.83 [2.82-5.20], 3.75 [2.75-5.12], respectively), lower frequency of sexual thoughts (1.34 [1.02-1.75]), and higher frequency of problems with intercourse (2.35 [1.51-3.66]). Lower FAI and poorer health were associated with impaired sexual function. CONCLUSIONS: The current study suggests that women experiencing menopausal transition in their mid-40s are at risk of impaired sexual function.

Early-onset climacterium is not associated with impaired vitamin D status: a population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate vitamin D status in women with the onset of the climacteric phase by age 46 as both early menopause and inadequate vitamin D status may increase the risk of adverse health outcomes. METHODS: A cross-sectional study included 2,544, 46-year-old women from a birth cohort. Women were divided into the following two groups according to their menstrual history and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) concentration: 1) climacteric (FSH ≥25 IU/L and amenorrhea ≥4 mo, n = 351) and 2) preclimacteric women (FSH <25 IU/L and having regular/irregular menstrual cycles, n = 2,193). Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations were compared between the groups. A linear regression model was performed to investigate which factors are associated with 25(OH)D status. RESULTS: Mean serum 25(OH)D concentrations were higher in climacteric compared with preclimacteric women (68.1 ±â€Š19.8 nmol/L vs 65.2 ±â€Š19.3 nmol/L, P = 0.01). However, in the linear regression model, climacteric status was not associated with 25(OH)D status (multivariable adjusted mean difference 4.5 nmol/L, 95% confidence interval -1.4 to 10.4, P = 0.137). A total of 76 of the climacteric women were using systemic estrogen hormone therapy (HT). In a subanalysis, including only climacteric women, the use of HT was associated with higher 25(OH)D status (multivariable adjusted mean difference 5.9 nmol/L, 95% confidence interval 1.3-10.5, P = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: The onset of the climacteric phase by age 46 was not associated with inadequate 25(OH)D concentrations, whereas HT use was associated with higher 25(OH)D status in women with early-onset climacterium.

Is climacterium by the mid-40s associated with thyroid dysfunction or autoimmunity? A population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether more advanced climacteric stage in the mid-40s is associated with thyroid autoimmunity and dysfunction. METHODS: This cross-sectional cohort study included 2,569 46-year-old women. Thyroid hormone, thyroid peroxidase antibodies, and follicle-stimulating hormone levels were determined. Using menstrual history and follicle-stimulating hormone levels, the participants were divided into climacteric (n = 340) and preclimacteric (n = 2,229) groups. Women diagnosed with premature ovarian insufficiency (menopause by 40 y of age) were excluded. The use of thyroid medication was evaluated from the medication reimbursement register. The prevalence of thyroid medication use, laboratory-based thyroid dysfunction, and thyroid peroxidase antibody positivity was compared between the two groups. The association between climacteric status and thyroid disorders was investigated using a logistic regression model including smoking and thyroid antibody status. RESULTS: At 46 years old, climacteric women used thyroid medication more often than preclimacteric women (9.1% vs 6.1%; P = 0.04). There was no difference in the prevalence of subclinical or clinical hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism in nonmedicated participants (5.5% vs 5.0%; P = 0.7) or thyroid peroxidase antibody positivity (14.0% vs 15.0%, P = 0.7). In the regression model, being climacteric (OR = 1.6; 95% CI 1.1-2.3; P = 0.02) and antibody positivity (OR 4.9; 95% CI 3.6-6.6; P < 0.001) were associated with a higher prevalence of thyroid dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS: More advanced climacteric stage in the mid-40s was slightly associated with thyroid dysfunction but not thyroid autoimmunity.

Video Summary:http://links.lww.com/MENO/A771 .

Onset of the climacteric phase by the mid-forties associated with impaired insulin sensitivity: a birth cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the early-onset menopausal transition is associated with deteriorated glucose tolerance in women in their mid-forties. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis of a cohort study including 2,632 women of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. The participants were divided into two groups by their menstrual history and follicle-stimulating hormone values at age 46: climacteric and preclimacteric women. Glucose and insulin parameters, as well as mathematical indices derived from them to evaluate insulin sensitivity, were compared between the groups. The results were adjusted for measured body mass index and smoking. The possible effect of hormone therapy was investigated in subanalyses excluding hormone therapy users. RESULTS: Climacteric women (n = 379) were more often current smokers at age 46 (P = 0.008), and their body mass indices increased more from 31 to 46 years (P = 0.013), compared to preclimacteric women (n = 2,253). In a multivariable generalized linear model, being climacteric at age 46 was associated with several findings suggesting decreased insulin sensitivity: increased glycated hemoglobin (P < 0.001), 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test 30- and 60-minute insulin (P = 0.040 and 0.006, respectively), and area under the insulin curve (P = 0.005). Being climacteric also was associated with a decreased the McAuley (P = 0.024) and Belfiore indices (P = 0.027) and glucose tolerance test 60-minute glucose (P = 0.015). In subanalyses excluding hormone therapy users (n = 94), the results did not change significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Earlier onset of climacteric transition is associated with impaired insulin sensitivity in middle-aged women.

Video Summary:http://links.lww.com/MENO/A648.