Trajectories of lipids around the menopause transition in Chinese women: results of the Kailuan cohort study

Abstract

Objective: To investigate changes in lipid parameters around the final menstrual period (FMP) in Chinese women.

Design: A prospective community-based cohort study.

Patient(s): Three thousand seven hundred fifty six Chinese women from the Kailuan cohort study who participated in the first examination and reached their FMP by the end of the seventh examination. Health examinations were performed every 2 years. Multivariable piece-wise linear mixed-effect models were used for repeated measures of lipids as a function of time around FMP.

Intervention(s): Number of years before or after FMP at each examination.

Main outcome measure(s): Lipids at each examination, including total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides (TGs).

Result(s): Total cholesterol, LDL-C, and TGs began to increase in early transition, regardless of baseline age. Moreover, TC and LDL-C had a maximum annual increase from 1 year before to 2 years after FMP; TGs had a maximum annual increase from early transition to the fourth-year after menopause. The trajectories in other postmenopause segments differed across subgroups of different baseline ages. Furthermore, HDL-C remained stable around FMP if baseline age was <45 years, whereas if baseline age was ≥45 years, HDL-C would first decline and then rise during postmenopause. Women with a higher body mass index (BMI) underwent less adverse changes in TC and TGs during postmenopause and had decline in HDL-C before menopause. A later FMP age was associated with less adverse changes in TC, LDL-C, and TGs and greater increase in HDL-C during postmenopause; it was associated with a greater increase in LDL-C during early transition.

Conclusion(s): This repeated measurement cohort study of indigenous Chinese women demonstrated that, regardless of baseline age, the adverse effect of menopause on lipids was since early transition, and the most adverse change time was from 1 year before to 2 years after FMP; HDL-C decreased first and then increased during postmenopause in older women; BMI and FMP age affected lipid trajectory mainly during postmenopause. We highlighted positive lipid management during menopause to reduce the burden of postmenopausal dyslipidemia. For lipid stratification management in postmenopausal women, BMI and FMP age are important factors.

Keywords: Menopause; age at menopause; body mass index; cohort study; lipids.