Correlates of age at menopause and osteoporosis in Saudi women.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the age of menopause among Saudi Arabian women and to predict the local trend in the prevalence of osteoporosis.

MATERIAL & METHOD: All menopausal women who had bone mineral density studies at King Khaled University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between 1999 to 2003. Correspondence and logistic regression analysis were conducted to identify variables that were positively associated with age of menopause.

RESULTS

935 postmenopausal females were included. The mean age of menopause was 48.1 +/- 5.9 years. Early and late onset of menopause were associated with osteoporosis, while normal onset of menopause was associated with osteopenia or remained normal. There was no association between age of menopause and parity or body mass index.

CONCLUSION

The age of menopause among Saudi women is lower than in Western countries but similar to other Arabic countries. In addition to cultural differences genetics play a role in determining the age of menopause and the development of osteoporosis.