Some life habits and socioeconomic factors such as alcohol consumption, smoking, relationship status, physical activity may also contribute<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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MONDAY, April 19, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Higher levels of estradiol and follicle-stimulating hormone, irregular menstrual cycles, and symptoms of menopause are strong indicators that a woman is approaching menopause, according to a study published online April 12 in Menopause<\/em>. Social and socioeconomic factors may also contribute. <\/p>\n Matti Hyv \u00a4rinen, from the University of Jyv \u00a4skyl \u00a4 in Finland, and colleagues used longitudinal data from 279 47- to 55-year-old women participating in the Estrogenic Regulation of Muscle Apoptosis study to build a 32-covariate model (model 1) to predict age at natural menopause. A subset of 16 self-reported covariates was used to build an easy-to-access model (model 2).<\/p>\n The researchers report that alcohol consumption, vasomotor symptoms, self-reported physical activity, and relationship status were predictors in both models. Estradiol and follicle-stimulating hormone levels as well as standard deviation of menstrual cycle length were also included in model 1, while model 2 included smoking, education, and the use of hormonal contraception as additional predictors. For models 1 and 2, the mean c-indices were 0.76 and 0.70, respectively, which indicated good concordance between the predicted and observed values. The mean absolute errors for models 1 and 2 were 0.56 and 0.62 years, respectively, which were smaller than the predicted sample mean (1.58).<\/p>\n “The suggested approach could add value for clinicians’ decision making related to the use of contraception and treatments for menopausal symptoms in perimenopausal women,” the authors write.<\/p>\n One author disclosed financial ties to Biogen Finland.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n