Effect of early menopause on bone mass in normal women and patients with qsteoporosis

Abstract

Purpose: Early menopause is widely regarded as a risk factor for osteoporosis. The aim of this study was to determine whether this risk is conferred by a lower bone mass. Patients and methods: Two hundred thirteen normal postmenopausal women and 55 women with postmenopausal osteoporosis (vertebral fractures) underwent bone mass measurements at the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and midshaft using dual-photon absorptiometry. To examine the effect of early menopause, postmenopausal normal women were stratified according to whether menopause occurred before or after the age of 50 years. Patients with osteoporosis were stratified in the same way. Results: Patients with osteoporosis had menopause at..