Study Of The Effects Of The Age At Menopause And Duration Of Menopause On Bone Mineral Density In Postmenopausal Women In Uzbekistan

The aim of the present study was to determine whether an association exists between the duration of menopause and the age of menopause onset, and the differences in bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women.Materials and Methods: We have reviewed medical records of 112 postmenopausal women who had not taken any antiosteoporosis treatment and/or hormone replacement therapy at the time of BMD measurement. The mean age of the postmenopausal women was 53.5 +/- 1.1 years, and the mean menopausal period was 4.5 years. The women were evaluated according to the duration of menopause at the time of BMD measurement and age at menopause onset. BMD was measured anteroposteriorly at the L1-L4 level by the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry method.Results: According to WHO criteria, osteoporosis and osteopenia were identified in 18(16.2%) and 44(39.2%) cases, respectively; overall, 50(44.6%) women had normal BMD. At the time of BMD measurement, osteoporosis was determined in 10.3% and 29.1% of the women with menopause duration of 0-3 years and > 7 years, respectively (P= 0.047). The percentages for osteopenia were similar among the three different menopause durations (36.2%, 43.3% and 41.6% for 0-3 years, 4-7 years and > 7 years, respectively). No differences were determined in the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis in women with menopause duration of > 7 years. Thirty-three percent of women with the age of menopause onset of < 40 years had osteoporosis; however, the percentages of women with osteoporosis among the other age groups were almost equal (18.7%, 14.29% and 15.0% for 40-46 years, 47-52 years and > 52 years, respectively). The frequency of osteopenia did not differ between the groups according to the age of menopause onset.Conclusion: According to our results, osteoporosis is related to the duration of menopause at the time of BMD measurement more than to the age of menopause onset among untreated postmenopausal women.