Menopause is a significant phase in women’s health, in which the incidence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is significantly increased. Body fat distribution changes with age and hormone levels in postmenopausal women, but the extent to which changes in body fat distribution affect the occurrence of OSA is unclear.
This research performed a cross-sectional analysis utilizing data from the 2015-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Body fat distribution was quantified using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in kilograms. Menopausal status and OSA symptoms were determined by questionnaire. Weighted multivariable regression analysis was utilized to investigate the correlation between menopausal status and OSA symptoms and body fat composition. We did a mediation analysis to assess how much of the effect of menopausal status on OSA symptoms was mediated through in body fat composition.
The analysis comprised 1459 individuals from NHANES, consisting of 1188 premenopausal and 271 postmenopausal women. In the weighted sample, 36.01% of premenopausal women and 53.39% of postmenopausal women had OSA symptoms. After adjusting for body mass index (BMI) and other potential confounders, menopausal status was correlated with a higher prevalence of OSA symptoms (OR = 1.57; 95% CI: 1.16,2.13), and increased visceral fat mass (β = 0.12; 95% CI: 0.07, 0.17). In addition, visceral fat mass exhibited a significant correlation with OSA symptoms (OR = 3.79; 95% CI: 1.61, 8.94). Mediation analysis showed that 29.76% of the effect of menopausal status on OSA symptoms was mediated through visceral fat. In age-matched analysis, postmenopausal women had higher visceral fat mass (0.63 kg vs. 0.52 kg, P = 0.02) and a higher prevalence of OSA symptoms (68.3% vs. 45.7%, P = 0.02) compared with premenopausal women; however, there was no significant difference in BMI (P > 0.05).
Our results suggest that menopausal status is associated with increased visceral fat accumulation and OSA symptoms prevalence. Visceral fat accumulation appears to play an important role in the development of OSA in postmenopausal women, independent of BMI; this highlights the importance of further studying this relationship.

© 2025. The Author(s).