Possible association of early menopause with worse physical function: a systematic review

Menopause at younger ages is associated with a greater risk of adverse health outcomes such as osteoporosis, chronic diseases, and death. However, the association with physical function has not been well established.

Assess the association between timing of menopause and different measures of physical function.

Searches on the PubMed, Cochrane Library, SciELO, LILACS, and Web of Science databases were conducted. Observational studies on the association between age at menopause and measures of physical function were included, with no restriction for publication date or language. Methodological quality was assessed by the "Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies."

Four cross-sectional studies were included, totaling 13,846 participants. These investigated five measures of physical function: gait speed, grip strength, standing balance, chair stand, and self-reported functional limitations. Poor physical function was associated with premature (<40 y) or early menopause (<45 y) in all the studies, with significant results only for grip strength, gait speed, and functional limitation. Premature and early menopause were associated with weaker grip strength [between 2.58 kg (95% CI = 0.74 to 4.43) and 5.21 kg (2.18 to 8.25)], and lower gait speed [between 0.03 m/s (0.01 to 0.06) and 0.06 m/s (0.02 to 0.09)]. Menopause after the age of 50 is associated with less likelihood of functional limitation [OR between 0.52 (95% CI = 0.29 to 0.95) and 0.61 (0.40 to 0.95)] compared with premature and early menopause. Two measures of physical function (chair stand test and standing balance) were not significantly associated with age at menopause.

Only four cross-sectional studies showed that earlier ages at menopause are associated with poor physical function (grip strength, gait speed, and self-reported functional limitations), but given the high heterogeneity of the studies, no consensus is possible. Longitudinal studies are needed to explore the association between age at menopause and different measures of physical function as well as the influence of different socioeconomic conditions between countries on functioning.