Natural menopause timing and menopause symptoms among lesbian, bisexual, and heterosexual women in the Nurses' Health Study II.

Objective: This study aimed to examine sexual orientation differences in natural menopause timing and symptoms between lesbian and bisexual women compared with heterosexual women.

Methods: We used longitudinal questionnaire data (1989-2015) from 92,314 women (858 lesbian, 375 bisexual) in the Nurses' Health Study II cohort. Women were 24-44 yr old at baseline and biennially reported their menopause status, including reasons for cessation of menstrual periods.

Brown Adipose Tissue Activity and Childhood Exposure to Cold Are Associated With Hot Flashes at Menopause.

Objective: Hot flashes (HFs) are experienced as sudden sensations of heat. We hypothesized that brown adipose tissue (BAT) activation could increase the likelihood of HFs in winter. The aim of this study was to test whether women with more BAT activity were more likely to experience self-reported or biometrically measured HFs.

The Impact of a Lifestyle Intervention on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors among Postpartum Hispanic Women with Overweight and Obesity in a Randomized Controlled Trial (Proyecto Mamá).

Introduction: Maternal overweight or obesity has been associated with metabolic syndrome through 1 year postpartum, but it remains unknown whether a culturally-modified, motivationally-targeted, and individually-tailored Lifestyle Intervention could improve postpartum cardiometabolic health among Hispanic women with overweight or obesity.

Methods: Proyecto Mamá was a randomized controlled trial conducted in Western Massachusetts from 2014 to 2020 in which Hispanic women with overweight/obesity were randomized to a Lifestyle Intervention (LI) involving diet and exercise or to a comparison Health and Wellness Intervention (HW). Biomarkers of cardiovascular risk (i.

Acute increases in physical activity and temperature are associated with hot flash experience in midlife women.

Objective: This study determined the association between acute changes in physical activity, temperature, and humidity and 24-hour subjective and objective hot flash experience.

Methods: Data collection occurred during the cooler months of the year in Western Massachusetts (October-April). Women aged 45-55 across three menopause stages (n = 270) were instrumented with ambulatory monitors to continuously measure hot flashes, physical activity, temperature, and humidity for 24 hours.

Chronic stress, social support, and symptoms at midlife. Is there a buffering effect?

Objectives: This study was designed to examine associations among measures of stress, social support, and symptoms at midlife. Specifically, the study examined whether support buffered against the negative effects of stress on severity of symptoms grouped via factor analyses into emotional instability, vaso-somatic symptoms, mood disturbances, and aches and pains.

Methods: We used cross-sectional data from n = 119 women aged 40-55 in Nagaland, India.

The influence of habitual physical activity and sedentary behavior on objective and subjective hot flashes at midlife.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate relationships between physical activity, sedentary time, and hot flashes during both waking and sleeping periods using concurrent objective and subjective measures of hot flashes in midlife women.

Methods: Women aged 45 to 55 years (n = 196) provided self-reported data on physical activity and underwent 24 hours of hot flash monitoring using sternal skin conductance. Participants used event marking and logs to indicate when hot flashes were perceived.

Midlife symptoms and household stress are associated with fingernail cortisol.

Objective: This study investigates menopausal symptoms, household stressors, and ethnopolitical problems in relation to stress markers, including chronic stress measured by fingernail cortisol, perceived stress measured by the Perceived Stress Scale, and acute stress measured by blood pressure.

Methods: Data from 151 women aged 40 to 55 years were collected from four regions in Nagaland, India, using opportunity sampling. A structured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic and lifestyle variables.

The Impact of a Lifestyle Intervention on Postpartum Cardiometabolic Risk Factors Among Hispanic Women With Abnormal Glucose Tolerance During Pregnancy: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Trial.

Background: Women with abnormal glucose tolerance during pregnancy are at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), with higher rates among Hispanics. However, studies on the impact of lifestyle interventions on postpartum CVD profiles are sparse.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of a controlled trial among a subsample of Hispanic women with abnormal glucose tolerance participating in Estudió PARTO (Project Aiming to Reduce Type twO diabetes; mean age = 28.

Premenstrual Disorders, Timing of Menopause, and Severity of Vasomotor Symptoms.

Importance: Although premenstrual disorders (PMDs) end at menopause, it is unclear whether they are associated with the timing and symptom severity of menopause.

Objective: To prospectively examine whether women with PMDs have increased risks of early menopause and menopause-related vasomotor symptoms (VMS).

Design, Setting, And Participants: This population-based cohort study was nested in the Nurses' Health Study II (data collected from questionnaire sent between June 1991 and June 2017).

Frequency of Phytoestrogen Consumption and Symptoms at Midlife among Bangladeshis in Bangladesh and London.

There is a longstanding interest in the relationship between diet and hot flash symptoms during midlife, especially in whether phytoestrogens ease menopausal symptoms. The purpose of this study was to examine hot flashes, night sweats, trouble sleeping, and vaginal dryness in relation to the intake of foods rich in phytoestrogens among Bangladeshi women aged 35 to 59 years who were living either in Sylhet, Bangladesh ( = 157) or as migrants in London ( = 174). Consumption ranges for phytoestrogens were constructed from food frequencies.

Mean age at menarche and climate variables on a global scale.

Objectives: Cross-population variation in age at menarche is related to many factors. The purpose of this study was to examine climate variables in relation to mean age at menarche among 87 modern human populations. We hypothesized a later age at menarche among populations living in areas with high precipitation variability, heavy seasonal rainfall, and high temperatures year-round due to water-borne diseases and periods of resource scarcity.

Relationship of Estradiol and Progesterone with Partnership and Parity Among Bangladeshi and British Women of European Origin.

Recent studies in social endocrinology have explored the effects of social relationships on female reproductive steroid hormones-estradiol and progesterone-investigating whether they are suppressed in partnered and parous women. Results have been mixed for these hormones although evidence is more consistent that partnered women and women with young children have lower levels of testosterone. These studies were sequential to earlier research on men, based on Wingfield's Challenge Hypothesis, which showed that men in committed relationships, or with young children, have lower levels of testosterone than unpartnered men or men with older or no children.

Physical activity and exercise for hot flashes: trigger or treatment?

Importance And Objective: Hot flashes (HFs) are a prevalent feature of menopause. Hot flashes can be bothersome and affect quality of life. However, HFs have also been associated with the risk for cardiovascular disease.

Limited evidence of a threshold effect for increasing adiposity on risk of symptoms at midlife.

Objective: To assess the nature of relationships between increasing body mass index (BMI) and the prevalence of midlife symptoms in a population with high adiposity.

Methods: In the cross-sectional Study of Women's Health in Qatar, 841 participants aged 40 to 60 years were recruited from nine primary health centers in Doha. Face-to-face interviews collected demographic, menopause, and symptom information.

Hand grip strength, standing balance, and rapid foot tapping in relation to the menopausal transition in Campeche, Mexico.

Objectives: This cross-sectional study investigated menopause status in relation to hand grip strength, standing balance, and rapid foot tapping. A secondary aim was to examine the relationship between physical performance and urban/rural residence with a focus on habitual daily tasks.

Methods: Maya and non-Maya women (40-60 years) were drawn from urban and rural sites in Campeche, Mexico (n = 543).

The association between anthropometric factors and anti-Müllerian hormone levels in premenopausal women.

Adiposity has been associated with several health conditions as well as timing of menopause. Prior epidemiologic studies on the association of adiposity and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) have been inconsistent. We evaluated the relations of anthropometric measures with AMH at two time periods in a subset of premenopausal participants in the Nurses' Health Study II.

Anti-Müllerian hormone levels and breast cancer risk in the study of women's health across the nation.

Purpose: The relation of premenopausal anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels with breast cancer risk has been evaluated in a few studies, but primarily in non-Hispanic White women.

Methods: We evaluated the association of AMH levels with breast cancer risk in Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN), a multi-ethnic cohort of women. At enrollment, participants had an intact uterus and ≥ 1 ovary, and ≥ 1 menstrual period in the last 3 months.

A comparison of stress, symptoms, physical activity, and adiposity among women at midlife before and during the pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic presented challenges that disproportionately impacted women. Household roles typically performed by women (such as resource acquisition and caretaking) became more difficult due to financial strain, fear of infection, and limited childcare options among other concerns. This research draws from an on-going study of hot flashes and brown adipose tissue to examine the health-related effects of the COVID-19 pandemic among 162 women aged 45-55 living in western Massachusetts.

Association of In Utero Exposures With Risk of Early Natural Menopause.

Suboptimal pregnancy conditions may affect ovarian development in the fetus and be associated with early natural menopause (ENM) for offspring. A total of 106,633 premenopausal participants in Nurses' Health Study II who provided data on their own prenatal characteristics, including diethylstilbestrol (DES) exposure, maternal cigarette smoking exposure, multiplicity, prematurity, and birth weight, were followed from 1989 to 2017. Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the associations of in utero exposures with ENM.

The association of parity and breastfeeding with anti-Müllerian hormone levels at two time points.

Objective: To evaluate the association between parity and breastfeeding and anti-Müllerian hormone levels (AMH) and change in AMH levels over time. Furthermore, we examined whether AMH levels mediate the relation of parity and breastfeeding with age at menopause.

Study Design: Observational, prospective cohort study.

Association of oral contraceptives and tubal ligation with antimüllerian hormone.

Objective: Oral contraceptives (OCs) and tubal ligation are commonly used methods of contraception that may impact ovarian function. Few studies have examined the association of these factors with antimüllerian hormone (AMH), a marker of ovarian aging.

Methods: We examined the association of OC use and tubal ligation with AMH in the Nurses' Health Study II prospective cohort among a subset of 1,420 premenopausal participants who provided a blood sample in 1996-1999.

Age at menopause among rural and urban women in the state of Campeche, Mexico.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine age at natural menopause among women of Maya and non-Maya ancestry living in urban and rural communities in the state of Campeche, Mexico.

Methods: Women ages 40 to 60 (n = 543) participated in semi-structured interviews and anthropometric measures. The last names, languages spoken, and the birthplace of the woman, her parents, and her grandparents were used to determine Maya or non-Maya ethnicity.

The menopausal transition in Mongolia.

Objective: The purpose of this cross-sectional pilot study was to develop a preliminary understanding of how menopause is experienced by Mongolian women. Our goals were to collect symptoms associated with the end of menstruation and to understand the language used and meaning of menopause in everyday life.

Methods: We carried out interviews using a semistructured questionnaire with open-ended questions (n = 17).

No impact of developmental conditions on serum estradiol levels among Bangladeshi women in the UK and Bangladesh.

Introduction: While many aspects of female ovarian function respond to environmental stressors, estradiol (E2) appears less sensitive to stressors than progesterone, except under extreme ecological conditions. However, earlier studies relied on saliva samples, considered less sensitive than blood. Here, we investigated E2 variation among 177 Bangladeshi and UK white women, aged 35-59, using single serum samples.