Korean J Fam Pract 2019; 9(1): 75-82  https://doi.org/10.21215/kjfp.2019.9.1.75
Association between Age at Natural Menopause with Diabetes and Prediabetes
Gee Youn Song, Hong Soo Lee*, Sang Wha Lee, Kyung Won Shim, A Ri Byun, Sin Na Lee
Department of Family Medicine, Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Hong Soo Lee, Tel: +82-2-2650-5698, Fax: +82-2-2654-2439, E-mail: hongslee@ewha.ac.kr, ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8831-3946
Received: July 4, 2018; Revised: October 1, 2018; Accepted: October 24, 2018; Published online: February 20, 2019.
© The Korean Academy of Family Medicine. All rights reserved.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Background: Previous studies have reported that fasting insulin and blood glucose levels are higher in postmenopausal than in premenopausal women and that insulin resistance was more serious in postmenopausal women. The effects of menopause on glucose metabolism have been well studied, but it is unclear whether age at menopause onset is associated with fasting blood sugar and HbA1c levels. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of menopause age on diabetes and prediabetes.
Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from the Sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013–2015). The participants were 2,156 naturally menopausal women, except diabetes, stroke, coronary artery disease and cancer patients. The study population was divided into four groups according to the age of natural menopause onset (<40, 40–44, 45–55, and ≥56 years). Diagnosis of diabetes and prediabetes was based on the American Diabetes Association guideline. The association between menopause age and diabetes or prediabetes was analyzed by multiple logistic regression.
Results: Women reaching menopause at 40–44 years were 4.901 times more likely to have diabetes (odds ratio [OR], 4.901; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.353–17.756, P=0.016) than those who reached menopause at an age of ≥56 years. Women with menopause at age <40 years were 2.839 times more likely to have diabetes or prediabetes (OR, 2.839; 95% CI, 1.012–7.968, P=0.047).
Conclusion: Women with premature menopause (<40 years) have high risk of developing diabetes or prediabetes, and women with a menopause age of 40–44 years have high risk of developing diabetes.
Keywords: Menopause Age; Premature Menopause; Diabetes Mellitus; Prediabetes
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