Menarche, menopause, and physician-diagnosed asthma in women

<bold>Background:</bold> Age at the onset of menarche and menopause have each been linked to asthma risk in women, but the role of combined patterns of these events has not been previously elucidated. <bold>Objective:</bold> To assess whether, in addition to their independent roles, combined patterns of age at onset of menarche and menopause, are associated with physician-diagnosed asthma. <bold>Method:</bold> The study sample (n=812) was derived from the population-based West Sweden Asthma Study. Early vs. late-onset menarche and menopause were defined as <13 vs. ≥13 years and ≤50 vs. >50 years, respectively. Physician-diagnosed asthma was categorized as early-onset (<13 years) and late-onset asthma (≥13 years). <bold>Result:</bold> Early-onset physician-diagnosed asthma was more common in women with early menarche (AOR 1.50, 95%CI 1.03-2.19), contrary to late-onset asthma (AOR 0.67, 95%CI 0.46-0.97). Early-onset asthma was less frequent among women who had attained menopause (AOR 0.49, 95%CI 0.32-0.75), contrary to late-onset asthma (AOR 2.04, 95%CI 1.34-0.75). No significant differences in physician-diagnosed asthma was observed by age at menopause nor by patterns of combined age at the onset of menarche and menopause. <bold>Conclusion:</bold> Attaining menarche and menopause differentially affect the risk of asthma concerning onset age, underscoring the complex roles of sex hormones in asthma in women.