Photo Credit: Shidlovski
The following is a summary of “Unilateral Oophorectomy and Age at Natural Menopause: A Longitudinal Community-Based Cohort Study,” published in the October 2024 issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology by Brennand et al.
Unilateral oophorectomy (UO), the removal of one ovary, may impact the timing of natural menopause. This study examined the potential role of early menopause in a Canadian cohort.
Researchers conducted a prospective study to assess the association between UO and age at natural menopause.
They used flexible parametric survival analysis to evaluate the age at natural menopause and logistic regression to assess early menopause and premature ovarian insufficiency, adjusting for birth year, parity, age at menarche, infertility, hormonal contraceptive use, and smoking (23,630 participants, 548 with UO).
The results showed that UO increased the risk of earlier natural menopause, particularly in early midlife (adjusted HR at age 40: 1.71, 95% CI 1.31–2.19), with the highest risk when the procedure was done between ages 20-40 (adjusted HR for age 30: 2.32, 1.46–3.54). The UO was associated with higher odds of early menopause (adjusted OR 1.90, 1.30–2.79) and premature ovarian insufficiency (adjusted OR 3.75, 1.72–8.16).
They concluded that UO was linked to earlier natural menopause, mainly when performed before age 40.
Source: obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1471-0528.17980
