Menstrual disorders in adolescence: a marker for hyperandrogenaemia and increased metabolic risks in later life? Finnish general population-based birth cohort study

• Published in: Human Reproduction
• Main Authors: Pinola, P., Lashen, H., Bloigu, A., Puukka, K., Ulmanen, M., Ruokonen, A., Martikainen, H., Pouta, A., Franks, S., Hartikainen, A.-L., Järvelin, M.-R., Morin-Papunen, L.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press 2012
• Subjects: Reproductive endocrinology; Northern Finland
• Online Access: http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/27/11/3279; https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/des309

STUDY QUESTION Are self-reported menstrual disorders associated with hyperandrogenaemia and metabolic disturbances as early as in adolescence? SUMMARY ANSWER Menstrual disorders at the age 16 are a good marker of hyperandrogenaemia, and an adverse lipid profile was associated with higher androgen levels. WHAT IS KNOWN AND WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS Hyperandrogenism per se has been suggested to be a significant metabolic risk factor in women and a cause of physical and psychological morbidity in adolescent girls. A weak positive correlation has been described between hyperandrogenaemia and obesity in adolescent girls, but the clinical consequences are still poorly understood. Hyperandrogenism and insulin resistance are also key features of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and women with PCOS are consequently at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus and/or metabolic syndrome, and may have increased cardiovascular morbidity. Our findings confirm that the association between menstrual disorders, hyperandrogenism, obesity and metabolic risks is already evident in adolescence. STUDY DESIGN This population-based, cross-sectional study used postal questionnaires to targeting 15–16-year-old girls in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 ( n = 4567). PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING There were 3669 girls who answered the postal questionnaire and out of 3373 girls who also underwent clinical examinations and blood tests, 2448 were included in the analyses. The questionnaire included one question about the regularity and length of the menstrual cycle: ‘Is your menstrual cycle (the interval from the beginning of one menstrual period to the beginning of the next period) often (more than twice a year) longer than 35 days?’ The girls who answered ‘yes’ to this question were considered to be suffering from menstrual disorders and were classified as ‘symptomatic’. The girls who answered ‘no’ were defined as ‘non-symptomatic’. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE There were 709 (29%) girls who reported menstrual disorders ...