Associação entre a idade da menopausa e a funcionalidade de mulheres idosas: uma análise da pesquisa nacional de saúde

Abstract

Introduction: menopause marks the end of a woman's reproductive period and occurs on average between 48 and 52 years old. It can be classified as early when before of age 45 and late when after age 55. Previous studies have suggested that early menopause is associated with worse functionality in postmenopausal women, but conflicting results have been reported. Objective: this study aims to investigate the association between age at menopause and the functionality of elderly women based on data from the Brazilian National Health Survey. Methods: this was a cross-sectional study with a sample of 5,148 women aged 60 years or older. Participants were classified according to age at menopause (younger than 45 years old, between 45 and 49 years, 50 and 54 years and 55 years or older) and the presence of difficulty in performing Activities of Daily Living (ADL) (bathing, lie down-stand up, sit-stand up, walking and going out alone). The women were also evaluated regarding socioeconomic data, lifestyle habits and the presence of chronic diseases. The association between the age at menopause and ADL difficulties was assessed using binary logistic regression with adjustment for covariates (age, education, income, race/color, smoking, alcohol consumption, practice of physical exercises, diagnosis of chronic diseases and hormone replacement therapy). A sensitivity analysis was performed dividing participants according to age at the time of assessment (60-74 years old and 75 years old or older). Data were analyzed by adjusting the sample weights resulting from complex samples, considering p<0.05. Results: there was no association between age at menopause and difficulty in ADL considering the complete sample or the sample of women aged 60-74 years only. Considering the sample over 74 years old, those with menopause before 45 years old and between 45 and 49 years old had a greater chance of difficulty in ADL compared to the reference group (menopause between 50 and 54 years old) (OR=1.85; CI95% = 1.10; 3.10, and OR=1.54; CI95%= 1.12; 2.13, respectively). Conclusion: the present study indicates the need for greater attention to the functional health of women who stop menstruating younger, as well as encouraging healthy habits that may contribute to maintaining independence for a longer period.