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

• Published in: Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research 2023-01, Vol.18 (1), p.51-51, Article 51
• Main Authors: Yang, Yimei, Wang, Shanshan, Cong, Hui
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Absorptiometry, Photon; Analysis; Bone Density; Bone mineral density; Bones; Child; Density; Estrogen; Female; Health surveys; Humans; Lumbar Vertebrae - diagnostic imaging; Menarche; NHANES; Nutrition Surveys; Osteoporosis; Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal; Physiological aspects; Postmenopausal women; Postmenopause; Surveys
• ISSN: 1749-799X; 1749-799X
• DOI: 10.1186/s13018-023-03520-2

Age at menarche (AAM) directly affects female estrogen levels, which play a vital role in bone metabolism. The exact relationship between bone mineral density (BMD) and AAM remains controversial. Thus, this study aimed to determine the association between AAM and lumbar spine (LS) BMD in postmenopausal women. Our data were based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2018. AAM was divided into three categories including ≤ 12, 13-15, and ≥ 16 years, and the ≤ 12 years old category was used as the reference group. To examine the association between AAM and LS BMD, we used three weighted linear regression models, Model 1 (without adjustment), Model 2 (with adjustment for age, race, and body mass index [BMI]), and Model 3 (with adjustment for all covariates). This study included 1195 postmenopausal women aged 40-59 years. In the unadjusted model, a menarche age of ≥ 16 years compared with a menarche age of ≤ 12 years was associated with lower LS BMD (β = - 0.083, 95% CI - 0.117, - 0.048, P