An Evaluation of the Association of Reproductive History and Multiple Births during Adolescence with Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

Does pregnancy in adolescence increase the chances of osteoporosis among aged women? Findings from the ELSI study

OBJECTIVE

Bone mineral density changes during the life span, rising rapidly during adolescence, plateauing around 30 years of age and decreasing in later years. Life events such as pregnancy and lactation temporarily reduce bone density, and their long-term effects on osteoporosis development are still unclear. This study aimed to analyse the association between pregnancy in adolescence and osteoporosis in aged women.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study conducted with data from the ELSI-Brazil baseline (2015-2016). The sample consisted of 2634 women aged 60 years old or over with complete information for the variables of interest. Data collection was conducted through individual home interviews and physical assessments. The dependent variable was osteoporosis and the independent variable of interest was pregnancy in adolescents under 20 years of age. The association between the variables was tested using multiple logistic regression.

RESULTS

The prevalence of osteoporosis was 32%, and the percentage of women who reported pregnancy in adolescence was 38%. After adjusting for socio-economic and health variables, an association was observed between pregnancy in adolescence and osteoporosis (OR = 1.38; 95% CI = 1.09-1.73), which indicates that specific bone health interventions for teenage mothers could help prevent osteoporosis later in life.

CONCLUSION

Women who reported pregnancy before age 20 were more likely to report osteoporosis in old age, indicating that pregnancy in adolescence can be a criterion for directing actions to prevent osteoporosis in aged women.

Does adolescent pregnancy affect postmenopausal bone mineral density?

Aim: This study aims to investigate the effect of adolescent pregnancies on bone mineral density in the postmenopausal period and to contribute to this controversial issue. Material and Method: Our study included 70 women at postmenopausal ages. The participants were divided into two groups. Thirty-five women with a history of pregnancy in adolescence were considered group 1, and 35 women without a history of pregnancy were considered group 2. The BMD was measured in the total hip, femoral neck, and lumbar spine. The data were compared using SPSS version 26, and p

Association of breastfeeding and postmenopausal osteoporosis in Chinese women: a community-based retrospective study

Background

Postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) has long been a pervasive public health concern. With the aging Chinese population, the prevention, assessment and management of postmenopausal osteoporosis were particularly important. During the breastfeeding, a large amount of Calcium loss from maternal bone for infants’ growth. However, whether this loss is completely reversible remains controversial. As the relationship between breastfeeding and postmenopausal osteoporosis is different from society to society and is not clear from the literature, the purpose of this study was to determine whether breastfeeding was an independent factor for the development of PMOP based on Chinese postmenopausal population.

Methods

A retrospective cross-sectional investigation was conducted at Tianjin Xiaobailou health Community Healthcare Center between December 2017 and June 2018. Postmenopausal women over the age of 50 who underwent the annual health examination or visited the center to perform bone densitometry as a part of routine screening for disease were recruited. A trained community nurse administered a questionnaire to all participants by face-to-face interview. Participants were questioned about age, BMI, Vitamin D and calcium intake, the history of smoking, drinking and fracture, age of menarche, age of menopause, the number of pregnancy, parity, feeding pattern (breastfeeding, artificial feeding and mixed feeding) and overall breastfeeding duration. BMD measurements were carried out using quantitative ultrasound (QUS) at the bilateral radius.

Results

A total of 202 women who met the inclusive and exclusive criteria were enrolled. Univariate analysis revealed that overall breastfeeding more than 24 months increased the risk of osteoporosis (OR 39.00, 95%CI 2.40–634.65, p = 0.010). However, multivariate estimate of the risk of osteoporosis by overall breastfeeding duration suggested that when controlling for age, BMI, the number of pregnancy and parity, the overall breastfeeding duration was not an independent risk factor for postmenopausal osteoporosis (OR 5.22, 95%CI 0.18–147.76, p = 0.333). Additionally, age (OR 1.16, 95%CI 1.05–1.29, p = 0.003), BMI (OR 1.26, 95%CI 1.04–1.54, p = 0.021) and the number of pregnancy (OR 1.80, 95%CI 1.08–2.98, p = 0.024) were significant associated with postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Conclusion

Breastfeeding was not associated with postmenopausal osteoporosis, while age, BMI and the number of pregnancy may contribute to increasing risk of postmenopausal osteoporosis in Chinese women.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12905-019-0808-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.