Correlates of circulating androgens in mid-life women: the study of women's health across the nation.

Context: Androgens influence sexual differentiation and behavior, body composition, and physical functioning in men, but their role in women is less well understood. Because circulating androgens decline with age, the use of androgen supplementation for women to improve health and well-being has been increasing.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the association between androgens and a variety of end points thought to be affected by androgens.

Body size and ethnicity are associated with menstrual cycle alterations in women in the early menopausal transition: The Study of Women's Health across the Nation (SWAN) Daily Hormone Study.

The dynamics of reproductive hormones that characterize the menopausal transition (perimenopause) are incompletely understood, particularly in non-Caucasian women. The Study of Women's Health across the Nation (SWAN) is a multiethnic cohort study of 3302 women at seven sites who were aged 42-52 yr at baseline. All participants are seen annually to assess a variety of endpoints.