Determinants and predictors of age at menopause among women in southeastern Iran: Zahedan PERSIAN cohort study

Ansarimoghaddam, Alireza; Khazaeian, Somayyeh; Arab Borzu, Zahra; Shahraki‐Sanavi, Fariba; Hosseini Kohkamari, Parisa; Rastegar, Maryam; Amiri Moghadam, M.H.; Bakhtiyari, M.

Determinants and predictors of age at menopause among women in southeastern Iran: Zahedan PERSIAN cohort study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Alireza Ansarimoghaddam

Somayyeh Khazaeian

Zahra Arab Borzu

Fariba Shahraki‐Sanavi

Parisa Hosseini Kohkamari

Maryam Rastegar

M.H. Amiri Moghadam

M. Bakhtiyari

Abstract

Background
Menopause age is an important indicator that not only indicates the end of a woman's reproductive period but also increases the risk of various middle-aged diseases and complications that can be prevented with timely interventions. This study examines the age of menopause and factors affecting it among Iranian women in southeastern Iran.
Methods
This population-based study was conducted among 2,649 postmenopausal women aged 35–70 years who participated in the Zahedan Cohort Study (ZCS), a component of the Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in Iran (PERSIAN), from October 2015 to January 2019 in Zahedan. Data were analyzed using t-tests, chi-square tests, ANOVA, and multivariable logistic regression. A significance level of p < 0.05 was used.
Results
The average age at menopause was 49.01 ± 5.39 years. Among these women, 225 (8.5%) experienced premature menopause, 198 (7.5%) experienced early menopause, and 2,226 (84%) experienced normal menopause. Results from multiple logistic regression show that marital status, physical activity, depression, diabetes, and stillbirth are associated with premature menopause. In addition, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, depression, infertility, and diabetes are key predictors of early menopause.
Conclusions
This study indicated that predictors of menopausal age differ between women with premature menopause and those with early menopause. Prospective research is needed to evaluate how these factors influence the timing of menopause.

Keywords

Menopause

Women

Persian cohort

Subjects