Olof Lindquist

The Population Study of Women in Gothenburg 1980–81—the Third Phase of a Longitudinal Study

A representative population sample comprising 1462 women was studied in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1968–69, and a third follow-up study was carried out in 1980–81. The participation rates in the baseline study and during the follow-up studies were high. In 1980–81 women in two new age strata, aged 26 and 38, were added. Women who had moved to or from Gothenburg during the study period were not found to differ from those who were living in Gothenburg during the total study period, while there were a few differences of statistical significance between refusers and participants in 1980–81. The mortality among initial refusers was about doubled compared to that of those who participated in the baseline study.

Serum lipids, arterial blood pressure and body weight in relation to the menopause: results from a population study of women in Goteborg, Sweden

Statistically significant differences were found between premenopausal and postmenopausal 50-year-old women for serum cholesterol, serum triglycerides, systolic blood pressure and body weight. Serum cholesterol and serum triglycerides were higher in postmenopausal women, while systolic blood pressure and body weight were higher in premenopausal women. When similar comparisons were performed between premenopausal and postmenopausal women in the other age strata studied, the differences were usually not statistically significant. In women of the same age, serum cholesterol was found to increase and systolic blood pressure to decrease with increasing postmenopausal time. Similarly, in women of the same age serum cholesterol and serum triglyceride levels were found to be lower in women who were to go on menstruating for another couple of years compared to women who were to have their menopause within the next few years.

Menstrual Status and Menopausal Age of Middle-Aged Swedish Women: A population study of women in Göteborg 1968-69 and 1974-75

Abstract. A population study of women in Göteborg, Sweden, was carried out in 1968‐69. Altogether 1462 women participated (participation rate 90.1 per cent). Five age strata were studied: 38, 46, 50, 54 and 60 (women born in 1930, 1922, 1918, 1914 and 1908, respectively). The same women were re‐studied in 1974‐75. At this time 1302 women participated, corresponding to 89.1 per cent of those studied in 1968‐69 and 80.3 per cent of those initially sampled. The vast majority of the women had a natural menopause. The median age at the menopause was found to be about 50. The criteria for definition of menopause are discussed. No support was found for the theory of increased menopausal age with time. Estrogen therapy of postmeno‐pausal women was found to be much more common in 1974–75 than in 1968–69.

Age at menopause and its relation to osteoporosis.

As one phase of a comprehensive population study of women, bone density was determined in the third lumbar vertebra by dual photon absorptiometric technique. The method involves the use of two radionuclides, which both emit gamma radiation but with different energies (241Am with 59.6 keV and 137Cs with 662 keV). Women in three age strata were studied: 46, 54 and 62 yr. All women aged 46 were still menstruating, while the age strata 54 and 62 were subdivided into two groups: those who still menstruated or had been postmenopausal for a short time and those who had been postmenopausal for many years. The bone mineral content was higher in premenopausal or recently postmenopausal 54-yr-old women than in women of the same age who had been postmenopausal for a long time (P less than 0.01). A similar trend was found for women aged 62 (P less than 0.10). The differences could not be explained by differences in other factors studied, such as body weight, body height, smoking habits or physical activity. No significant differences were found when women with similar menopausal status in different age groups were compared.

Changes in bone mineral content of the axial skeleton in relation to aging and the menopause

Patterns of bone loss in the axial skeleton have been studied in a sample of Swedish women participating in a longitudinal population study which was started in 1968. In 1976, the mineral content of the lumbar spine (predominantly trabecular bone) was measured in vivo in 130 women by dual photon absorptiometry. Premenopausal or recently postmenopausal women were compared with women of identical age who had been postmenopausal for a long time. The first group was found to have significantly higher values of bone mineral content. Five years later, in 1981, the same women were re-examined with identical techniques. A slight decrease in bone mineral content with age was found in postmenopausal women. The findings were mostly in agreement with those of the first cross-sectional study, with bigger differences in bone mineral content between women of different menstrual status than between women of different age. In addition, the lower values in women with early menopause compared to those with late menopause re...

THE EFFECT OF SMOKING ON MENOPAUSAL AGE

A comprehensive population study of women in Goteborg, Sweden was carried out in 1968--1969. Altogether 1462 women in five age strata were studied. The age stratum 50 comprised about the same number of postmenopausal women (n = 161) and women who still menstruated (n = 168). A comparison could, therefore, be made between still menstruating and postmenopausal women of almost identical age. In postmenopausal 50-yr-old women 50% were smokers compared to 26% in 50-yr-old women who still menstruated. The difference was highly significant. Almost all the postmenopausal women had been smokers for many years, which means that they did not start smoking as a consequence of the menopause. It thus seemed that an earlier menopause was a consequence of smoking. The difference could not or only to a small extent be explained by other factors such as differences in body weight between smokers and non-smokers.

Influence of the Menopause on Ischaemic Heart Disease and its Risk Factors and on Bone Mineral Content

A comprehensive population study of women in Gothenburg, Sweden, was carried out in 1968-69. Altogether 1462 women participated (participation rate 90.1%). Five age strata were studied, i.e. women born in 1930, 1922, 1918, 1914 and 1908. The same women were restudied in 1974-1975 (participation rate 80.3% of the initial sample and 89.1% of those participating in 1968-69). In addition, a study of bone density, using photon absorptiometry, was carried out in a systematic subsample in 1976. The median age at natural menopause in the population sample was found to be 50 years and 3 months. About 5% of women aged 44 or more had stopped menstruating after hysterectomy and a similar proportion were postmenopausal as a consequence of bilateral oophorectomy. Information is also given about the percentages of the women receiving oestrogens either as substitution therapy or as oral contraceptives. Different factors influencing the age at menopause are discussed. Smoking was found to be one of the most important of these. The influence of the menopause on ischaemic heart disease and its risk factors has been studied both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. The most striking differences were found for serum cholesterol and serum triglycerides, with higher values in postmenopausal women than in premenopausal of the same ages. For bone mineral content, higher values were observed in premenopausal or recently postmenopausal women than in women of the same ages who had been postmenopausal for a long time. The observed differences in bone mineral content could not be explained by other factors studied.

Is the menopausal age rapidly changing

A population study of women in Goteborg, Sweden was carried out in 1968--1969. Altogether 1462 women participated (participation rate 90.1%). Five age strata were studied: 38, 46, 50, 54 and 60 (women born in 1930, 1922, 1918, 1914 and 1908, respectively). The same women were re-studied in 1974--1975. Information about menopausal state and, in postmenopausal women, about menopausal age was obtained on both occasions. The information given by the women in 1974--1975 agreed well with the information given in 1968--1969. Very few women started to menstruate again, if the interval since the last menstruation had been 6 mth or longer. The vast majority of the women had a spontaneous menopause. The medians of menopausal age were found to be between 49 yr 7 mth (in women born in 1908) and 50 yr 5 mth (in women born in 1918). There was a tendency towards a continuously increased menopausal age with time as judged from women born in 1908, 1914 and 1918, respectively, but women born in 1922 were found to have a median menopausal age which was more similar to that of the women born in 1908 than that of the women born in 1918. Our sstudy has, thus, not supported the view that the menopausal age in rapidly changing.

Sleep disturbances, nightmares and other possible central nervous disturbances in a population sample of women, with special reference to those on antihypertensive drugs

SummaryOf 1302 women aged 44–66 years in a population study in Göteborg, Sweden, in 1974–75, who were representative of women of all the ages studied in the area, 165 were taking antihypertensive drugs, mostly β-blockers and diuretics. The prevalence of sleep disturbances, nightmares, tiredness and melancholia or depression was studied in the total population sample, and a comparison was made between women who were or were not taking antihypertensive drugs. In the entire population sample no significant difference was found between the various age strata studied, although with increasing age there was a trend towards fewer complaints of nightmares, but a larger number of sleep disturbances as a whole. No difference was found between women taking or not taking various types of single-drug therapy or combinations of antihypertensive drugs.

MENOPAUSAL EFFECTS ON RISK FACTORS FOR ISCHAEMIC HEART DISEASE

Women of almost identical age but with a different menopausal state were compared in a population study of women, which was carried out in Goteborg, Sweden. The group of women aged 50 comprised about the same number of still menstruating and postmenopausal women and was, therefore, especially suitable for such a comparison. Serum cholesterol and serum triglycerides were higher in postmenopausal than in premenopausal 50-yr-old women and seemed to increase with postmenopausal time. The differences between premenopausal and postmenopausal women were hightly significant. Systolic blood pressure was slightly but significantly different (lower in postmenopausal women), while no difference was found for diastolic blood pressure. It seems that differences in risk factors for ischaemic heart disease could explain part of but not all the association between early menopause and ischaemic heart disease.