Premature menopause linked to modestly higher type 2 diabetes risk

An observational analysis published in Menopause examined premature menopause and subsequent type 2 diabetes in 136,759 postmenopausal women aged 50–70 years from the Women’s Health Initiative. Menopausal age and type were derived from self-reported histories, symptoms, surgeries and hormone therapy use. Incident diabetes was identified through self-reported initiation of diabetes treatment. Researchers used adjusted Cox models and assessed hormone therapy interactions and BMI mediation.

Premature menopause, defined as menopause before age 40, occurred in 13,230 women (9.7%). Compared with menopause at ages 50–54, it was associated with higher diabetes risk (hazard ratio [HR] 1.10; 95% CI 1.05–1.16). Among women with natural menopause, the association varied by hormone therapy use (interaction P=0.047). Elevated risks were observed in never-users (HR 1.24; 95% CI 1.08–1.42) and estrogen-plus-progestogen users (HR 1.35; 95% CI 1.09–1.68), but not estrogen-only users.

BMI mediated an estimated 27.9% of the association (95% CI 19.0%–45.8%). The findings identify premature menopause as a potential marker of diabetes risk, but the observational design and self-reported measures limit causal interpretation. The hormone therapy subgroup findings do not establish that any regimen prevents diabetes. Absolute diabetes incidence and follow-up duration were not provided in the supplied report.