Ethnic variation in the onset age of menopause and its consequences on women’s health

Background: Reproduction is a major determinant of health in women. To investigate whether female reproductive physiology is still evolving in different ethnic populations, the relationship between ethnicity and onset age of menopause was examined. The relationship between menopause and women’s health was additionally investigated to reflect on the increased risk of serious health conditions following the hormonal fluctuations associated with menopause. Methods: : All data used to complete the study’s statistical analyses were obtained from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN). Women from five ethnicities were included: African American, Chinese, Japanese, Caucasian, and Hispanic. The onset ages of early perimenopause, late perimenopause, and post-menopause were considered, as well as race and diagnoses of stroke, heart attack, osteoporosis, and diabetes. Both ANOVA and Tukey’s honestly significant difference (HSD) tests were performed. Results: : We found that the population of Chinese women reached late perimenopause and the population of Japanese women reached both late perimenopause and post-menopause significantly later than African American women. The cohort of Hispanic women reached late perimenopause significantly earlier than most ethnicities, excluding African American women, and reached post-menopause significantly later than all ethnicities. Various associations between the onset of menopause and diagnoses of serious health conditions, including osteoporosis, heart attack, and stroke, were found, individually and in combination with other variables. Conclusions: : The ethnicity-related variation found within the onset age of late perimenopause and post-menopause in the SWAN populations suggests that female reproductive changes are still evolving in different ethnicities. The associations found between menopause and women’s health suggest that menopause plays a substantial role in the diagnosis of serious health conditions such as heart attacks, stroke, and osteoporosis. Future studies should consider the impact of both biological (menopause) and non-biological factors on the variation seen in middle-aged women’s health and focus on practical applications in women’s healthcare.