WIDER IMPLICATION S The findings of this review indicate that alcohol consumption , particularly low and moderate alcohol intake , might be associated with later onset of menopause although the magnitude of the association is low .
BACKGROUND Early onset of menopause is associated with long-term health risks , including cardiovascular disease and premature death .
Although alcohol intake has been suggested to affect the age at which natural menopause occurs , results from observational studies are not consistent .
OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE In the view of the differing risks to the health of early menopause and the increasing trends in alcohol consumption in women , in this systematic review , we aim ed to quantify the association between all levels of alcohol consumption and menopause onset .
Alcohol consumption and age of maternal menopause are associated with menopause onset.
OBJECTIVES To examine whether a number of nutritional and familial factors were associated with menopausal development . METHODS A prospect i ve postal survey amongst a r and om sample of 1227 women aged 47 to 51 who were premenopausal in a cross-sectional survey 2 years previously . Women were classed into three groups ; premenopause ( regular menstruation ) ; irregular menstruation ; postmenopausal ( absence of menstrual cycle for at least 6 months )  . Proportional odds regression was used to identify those factors which were independently predictive of subsequent menopausal development . RESULTS There was an 80 % ( n = 983 ) survey response rate . After exclusion of current HRT users ( n = 178 ) ; 150 ( 19 % ) women were postmenopausal , 277 ( 34 % ) had erratic menstruation and 378 ( 47 % ) were premenopause . There were significant univariate associations between menopausal status and age ( P < 0.001 ) , age of maternal menopause ( P = 0.006 ) , alcohol consumption ( P = 0.005 ) and social class ( P = 0.03 ) . Maternal age and alcohol consumption were significantly correlated with estradiol levels ( r = 0.45 , P = 0.02 , and r = 0.61 , P = 0.02 for maternal age and alcohol consumption , respectively ) . In proportional odds regression analyses , age , maternal menopausal age , alcohol consumption and smoking were independently associated with menopausal status . CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that , ( 1 ) there is a strong familial association in menopausal age , and ( 2 ) moderate consumption of alcohol is associated with delayed menopausal development
WIDER IMPLICATION S The findings of this review indicate that alcohol consumption , particularly low and moderate alcohol intake , might be associated with later onset of menopause although the magnitude of the association is low .
BACKGROUND Early onset of menopause is associated with long-term health risks , including cardiovascular disease and premature death .
Although alcohol intake has been suggested to affect the age at which natural menopause occurs , results from observational studies are not consistent .
OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE In the view of the differing risks to the health of early menopause and the increasing trends in alcohol consumption in women , in this systematic review , we aim ed to quantify the association between all levels of alcohol consumption and menopause onset .