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Taken from WWW.pubmed.gov (testosterone studies)
J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Oct 26 [Epub ahead of print]
Lung function, respiratory symptoms, and the menopausal transition.
Real FG, Svanes C, Omenaas ER, Antò JM, Plana E,
From the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen; Centre
de Recerca en Epidemiologia Ambiental (CREAL)–Institut Municipal d'Investigació Mèdica (IMIM-IMAS),
Barcelona; Respiratory Research Group, Institute of Medicine, University of Bergen.
BACKGROUND: There is limited information on potential changes in respiratory health when women enter the menopausal
transition.
OBJECTIVE: We sought to investigate whether the menopausal transition is related to lung function and asthma and
whether body mass index (BMI) modifies associations.
METHODS: Four thousand two hundred fifty-nine women from 21 centers (ECRHS II, 2002) responded to a questionnaire
concerning women's health. Women aged 45 to 56 years not using exogenous sex hormones (n = 1274) were included in the
present analysis. Lung function measurements (n = 1120) and serum markers of hormonal status (follicle-stimulating
hormone, luteinizing hormone, and estradiol; n = 710) were available. Logistic and linear regression analyses were
adjusted for BMI, age, years of education, smoking status, center, and height.
RESULTS: Women not menstruating for the last 6 months (n = 432, 34%) had significantly lower FEV(1) values
(-120 mL [95% CI, -177 to -63]), lower forced vital capacity values (-115 mL [95% CI, -181 to -50]), and more
respiratory symptoms (odds ratio [OR], 1.82 [95% CI, 1.27-2.61]) than those menstruating regularly. Results were
similar when restricting analyses to those who never smoked. Associations were significantly stronger in women with
BMIs of less than 23 kg/m(2) (respiratory symptoms: OR, 4.07 [95% CI, 1.88-8.80]; FEV(1) adjusted difference: -166
[95% CI, -263 to -70]) than in women with BMIs of 23 to 28 kg/m(2) (respiratory symptoms: OR, 1.10 [95% CI, 0.61-1.97],
P(interaction): .04; FEV(1) adjusted difference, -54 [95% CI, -151 to 43], P(interaction) = .06).
CONCLUSIONS: Menopause is associated with lower lung function and more respiratory symptoms, especially among lean women.
CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Clinicians should be aware of increased asthma risk and lower lung function in women
reaching menopause. These problems appeared to be less pronounced among women with a BMI of approximately 25 kg/m(2).
PMID: 18028993 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Dr. Gordon: These perimenopausal women have a much more severe deficiency in testosterone than in estrogen.
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