Impact of Premature Ovarian Failure on Mortality and Morbidity among Chinese Women

Objective: To evaluate associations of premature ovarian failure (POF) with mortality and morbidity in Asian populations. Methods: We identified 1,003 cases of POF among 36,402 postmenopausal women who participated in the Shanghai Women's Health Study, a population-based cohort study. Cox regression and logistic regression models were applied in data analysis. Results: After adjustment for potential confounding factors, we found that POF increased the risk of total and cancer-specific mortality (HR (95% CIs): 1.29 (1.08-1.54) and 1.38 (1.05-1.81), respectively). POF was also associated with high prevalence of autoimmune disease (OR (95% CI): 1.56 (1.04-2.35)) but decreased incidence of breast cancer (OR (95% CI): 0.59 (0.38-0.91)). Similar results were observed when hormone replacement therapy users were excluded from the analysis. POF is associated with high waist-to-hip ratio. Conclusions: Our results suggest that women with POF experience increased mortality and that these women may benefit from heightened surveillance and appropriate interventions.