The researchers looked at the menstrual histories of 122 women diagnosed with type 1 diabetes before age 17 between 1950 and 1965, and compared these with the histories of 147 nondiabetic sisters of these women. About 13 percent of each group had experienced menopause at the time of the study. As in women in the general population, prior pregnancies reduced the risk of premature menopause. It's known that the risk of cardiovascular disease also goes up after menopause. Having diabetes also raises the risk.
Premature menopause means a higher risk, earlier.
Further, when menopause occurs, especially if it is premature, careful consideration should be given to hormone replacement therapy that has been shown to lower cardiovascular disease risks in women. Because of the relatively small numbers involved in the study, Dorman and her colleagues plan to follow up with a larger study to confirm the findings. Marie McCarren, associate editor of Diabetes Forecast, contributed to this report.