Association between age at menarche and bone mineral density in postmenopausal women

Age at natural menopause and associated factors with early and late menopause among Chinese women in Zhejiang province: A cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

Menopause is a significant life transition for women, impacting their physical and psychological health. The age at natural menopause (ANM) and its associated factors have differed by race and region. This study aimed to investigate ANM and associated factors of early and late menopause among Chinese women in Zhejiang province.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted using a multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method to recruit 8,006 women aged 40-69 years who had resided in Zhejiang province for over 6 months between July 2019 and December 2021. Self-reported ANM and sociodemographics, lifestyle behaviors, reproductive history, and health-related factors were collected using questionnaires in face-to-face surveys. ANM were categorized into three groups: early menopause (<45 years), normal menopause (45-54 years), and late menopause (≥55 years). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was utilized to calculate the median ANM. Multivariable multinomial logistic regression was employed to explore the associated factors of early menopause and late menopause.

RESULTS

A total of 6,047 women aged 40-69 years were included for survival analysis, with 3,176 of them for the regression analysis. The overall median ANM was 51 years (Inter-quartile range [IQR]: 51-52). Women who were smokers (odds ratio [OR]:4.54, 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.6-12.84), had irregular menstrual cycles (OR:1.78, 95% CI:1.12-2.83) and hypertension (OR:1.55, 95% CI:1.09-2.21) had a higher odds ratio of early menopause, while central obesity (OR:1.33, 95% CI:1.03-1.73) and hyperlipidemia (OR:1.51, 95% CI:1.04-2.18) were factors associated with late menopause.

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed the associations between ANM and various factors among Chinese women. These factors included socio-demographic factors such as age; life behavior factors like current or prior smoking status; reproductive history factors such as irregular menstrual cycles, miscarriages, and breastfeeding; and health-related factors like central adiposity, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. These findings provided a basis for understanding factors associated with ANM.

Long-term health consequences of central precocious/early puberty (CPP) and treatment with Gn-RH analogue: a short update

BACKGROUND

The relationship between precocious or early puberty and its treatment has received significant research attention, yielding diverse outcomes. This short review aims to comprehensively analyze and summarize research articles to elucidate the potential link between precocious or early pubertal onset (CPP) and crucial health factors.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review of studies published from -January 2000 to March 2023, sourced from databases of Medline, PubMed, Google Scholar and Web of Science. We assessed the relationship between CPP and final adult height (FHt), bone health, reproductive function, body mass index, metabolic and cardiovascular abnormalities, and increased cancer risk.

RESULTS

Upon reviewing and analyzing selected studies, the following key findings emerged: (a) treating CPP in girls before age 6-7 and in boys before age 9 improves FHt; (b) bone mineral density (BMD) decreases during GnRHa treatment but normalizes afterward, with no lasting effects on peak bone mass during puberty; (c) GnRH treatment does not negatively affect menstrual cycles; however, untreated CPP increases the risk of premature or early-onset menopause; (d) the incidence of PCOS/hyperandrogenemia may be slightly elevated in women with a history of CPP, but overall reproductive function remains largely unaffected; (e) earlier thelarche and menarche may enhance susceptibility to breast carcinogenesis; (f) CPP contributes to an increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes in both genders; (g) early menarche may slightly increase the risk of coronary heart disease and ischemic strokes and (h) early pubertal timing increases the risk of depression and anxiety disorders.

CONCLUSION

Monitoring and early diagnosis of these conditions are of paramount importance for successful management.

To investigate the mechanism of Yiwei Decoction in the treatment of premature ovarian insufficiency-related osteoporosis using transcriptomics, network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques

To investigate the molecular mechanism of Yiwei Decoction (YWD) in preventing Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI)-related osteoporosis from the hypothalamic perspective , and to screen for the key active and acting molecules in YWD. Cyclophosphamide was used to create the POI rat model. Groups A, B, and C were established. The Model + YWD group was group A, the model control group was group B, and the normal control group was group C. ELISA was used to determine serum GnRH and FSH levels after gavage. The transcription levels of mRNAs in each group's hypothalamus tissues were examined using RNA-seq sequencing technology. The GSEA method was used to enrich pathways based on the gene expression levels of each group. The TCM-active ingredient-target-disease network map was created using differentially expressed mRNAs (DEmRNAs) and network pharmacology. The molecular docking method was employed to investigate the affinity of the active ingredient with key targets. GnRH and FSH levels in POI rats' serum were reduced by YWD. Between groups A and B, there were 638 DEmRNAs (P < 0.05) and 55 high-significance DEmRNAs (P-adjust < 0.01). The MAPK, Hedgehog, Calcium, and B cell receptor pathways are primarily enriched in DEmRNAs from Group A and Group B. The GSEA pathway enrichment analysis indicates that YWD may regulate Long-term potentiation, Amphetamine addiction, and the Renin-angiotensin system and play a role in preventing osteoporosis. The Chinese herbal medicine (CHM)-Active ingredient-Target-disease network map includes 137 targets, 4 CHMs, and 22 active ingredients. The result of docking indicated that Stigmasterol, interacts well with the core proteins ALB, VCL and KAT5. Following the screening, we identified the targets, active components, and key pathways associated with YWD osteoporosis prevention. Most of these key targets and pathways are associated with osteoporosis, but further experimental validation is required.