Forearm bone density and grip strength in women after menopause, with and without estrogen replacement therapy

Peaking in young adulthood, both bone mass and muscle strength decrease with ageing, but bone loss may accelerate after the menopause and can be delayed by estrogen replacement therapy (ERT). This study was designed to evaluate whether, like bone density, the muscle strength was affected by the onset of menopause and/or ERT. First grip strength (GS) of young female adults (group III; n = 18; age (+/- S.E.M.) 21.8 +/- 0.4 years) was compared to that of postmenopausal women, who were divided into two groups. Group I (n = 22; age 59.6 +/- 1.6 years) was 12.5 +/- 1.7 years after the menopause and received no ERT, and group II (n = 21; age 59.5 +/- 1.1 years) was 8.3 +/- 1.2 years after the menopause and had received ERT for 3.9 +/- 2.3 years at the time of the study. GS of the postmenopausal women was significantly (P < 0.005) lower than that of the young female adults. GS did not differ significantly between both postmenopausal groups. Further analysis revealed a weak negative correlation of years since menopause with forearm bone density (r = -0.37, P < or = 0.023 for group II and III together), but not with GS. It is concluded that the later onset of menopause and estrogen replacement therapy do not seem to have a noticeable influence on muscle strength.