Correlation of body mass index and age of menopause in women attending medicine and gynaecology department of a tertiary care centre

Abstract

Background: Menopause is a physiological change that every woman experiences in her life. Some find it extremely troublesome and for some it is a gradual change .Multiple factors determine the age at which menopause occurs, also deciding the course of menopause. How do height, weight and body mass index affect the same is the basis of this research. Methods: 500 women who underwent natural menopause were examined to assess their height and weight. The body mass index was henceforth calculated. The results were statistically analysed using Pearson correlation. Results: The age of menopause varied with the increasing height, weight and BMI. Though no statistical significance was found in between height and age of menopause, there was a definite correlation between weight and BMI of the women. Conclusions: Time long obesity and higher BMI is known for being associated with many diseases like hypertension, diabetes, metabolic syndrome etc. This study indicates how it affects the physiologic change i.e. menopause also. Women with higher BMI tend to have higher age of attaining menopause. Keywords: BMI, Menopause, Weight, Obesity