Black women and menopause. (FYI).

The largest study yet of the predictors of natural menopause among black women in the United States shows that smokers reach menopause earlier than other women. (1) More than 17,000 women who were 35-55 years old and premenopausal in 1995 completed mailed surveys in that year and a follow-up questionnaire in 1997 or 1999 (or both); by the end of the study, 1,323 had reached natural menopause. In analyses adjusting for factors potentially associated with menopause, current and former smokers had significantly elevated risks of reaching menopause (hazard ratios, 1.4 and 1.2, respectively); the risk increased with the amount that women smoked. Women who had used the pill for more than one year and obese women had reduced risks of reaching menopause (0.9 and 0.8, respectively). Because previous research has suggested that women who are subjected to the stresses of racist discrimination may reach menopause earlier than others, the survey explored women's perceptions of their experiences of racism; the results showed little support for racism as a factor in menopause.

(1.) Palmer JR et al., Onset of natural menopause in African American women, American Journal of Public Health, 2003, 93(2):299-306.

FYI is compiled and written by Dore Hollander, executive editor of Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health.