Early menopause, association with tobacco smoking, coffee consumption and other lifestyle factors: a cross-sectional study

Background: Early onset of menopause is a risk factor for several health problems. The objective was primarily to investigate the association between early menopause and current, past active and passive smoking. A second aim was to investigate the association between coffee and alcohol consumption and early menopause. Methods: The present population-based cross-sectional study included a sub-sample of 2123 postmenopausal women born in 1940-41 who participated in the Oslo Health Study. Early menopause was defined as menopause occurring at an age of less than 45 years. We applied logistic regression analyses ( crude and adjusted odds ratio ( OR)) to examine the association between early menopause and selected lifestyle factors. Results: Current smoking was significantly associated with early menopause (adj. OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.11-2.28). Stopping smoking more than 10 years before menopause considerably reduced the risk of early menopause ( adj. OR, 0.13; 95% CI, 0.05-0.33). Total exposure to smoking ( the product of number of cigarettes per day and time as a smoker) was positively related to early menopause and, at the highest doses, nearly doubled the odds ( adj. OR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.12-3.30). These data suggest a possible dose-response relationship between total exposure to smoking and early menopause, but no dose-response relationship was detected for the other variables examined. We found no significant association of coffee or alcohol consumption with early menopause. Of the lifestyle factors tested, high educational level ( adj. OR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.34-0.72) and high social participation ( adj. OR, 0.60, 95% CI, 0.39-0.98) were negatively associated with early menopause. Conclusion: This cross-sectional study shows an association between current smoking and early menopause. The data also suggest that the earlier a woman stops smoking the more protected she is from early menopause. Early menopause was not significantly associated with passive smoking, or alcohol or coffee consumption.