Relationship between adolescent amenorrhea and climacteric osteoporosis

The relationship between climacteric osteoporosis and disturbances in menstrual cycle during adolescence was examined.

Seven hundred and seventy-one questionnaires were shared out among women visiting the outpatient department for climacteric complaints for the first time between 2001 and 2004. Questions revealed the age, age at menarche and menopause, the regularity or irregularity of menstrual cycle during adolescence and adult ages. The bone mineral density was examined using the Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) method on the lumbar spine.

Six hundred and thirty-five of the 771 questionnaires were suitable for analysis. Osteoporosis was observed in 30.1% of the cases. Age, age at the menarche or at the menopause did not alter in the subgroups with or without osteoporosis. The incidence and severity of osteoporosis were significantly higher in patients reporting secondary amenorrhea during adolescent ages (42.1%; average BMD of the lumbar spine 71.6+/-3.9), as compared to the patients with normal cycle (30.4%; average BMD of the lumbar spine 84.8+/-7.8). No correlation between the occurrence of osteoporosis and the frequency of menstrual cycle during adulthood was observed.

Secondary amenorrhea during the years of adolescence might play a role in the development of more severe osteoporosis in menopause.