Association between Body Weight Changes and Menstrual Irregularity: The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010 to 2012.
10.3803/EnM.2017.32.2.248
- Author:
Kyung Min KO
1
;
Kyungdo HAN
;
Youn Jee CHUNG
;
Kun Ho YOON
;
Yong Gyu PARK
;
Seung Hwan LEE
Author Information
1. Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea. hwanx2@catholic.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Obesity, abdominal;
Body weight;
Menstrual irregularity;
Obesity
- MeSH:
Alcohol Drinking;
Body Mass Index;
Body Weight Changes*;
Body Weight*;
Education;
Female;
Humans;
Korea*;
Menarche;
Menstrual Cycle;
Nutrition Surveys*;
Obesity;
Obesity, Abdominal;
Odds Ratio;
Parity;
Reproductive Health;
Smoke;
Smoking;
Thinness;
Weight Gain;
Weight Loss
- From:Endocrinology and Metabolism
2017;32(2):248-256
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Menstrual irregularity is an indicator of endocrine disorders and reproductive health status. It is associated with various diseases and medical conditions, including obesity and underweight. We aimed to assess the association between body weight changes and menstrual irregularity in Korean women. METHODS: A total of 4,621 women 19 to 54 years of age who participated in the 2010 to 2012 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were included in this study. Self-reported questionnaires were used to collect medical information assessing menstrual health status and body weight changes. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to evaluate the association between body weight changes and menstrual irregularity. RESULTS: Significantly higher ORs (95% CI) were observed in the association between menstrual irregularity and both weight loss (OR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.22 to 2.48) and weight gain (OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.13 to 1.86) after adjusting for age, body mass index, current smoking, heavy alcohol drinking, regular exercise, calorie intake, education, income, metabolic syndrome, age of menarche, parity, and stress perception. Of note, significant associations were only observed in subjects with obesity and abdominal obesity, but not in non-obese or non-abdominally obese subjects. U-shaped patterns were demonstrated in both obese and abdominally obese subjects, indicating that greater changes in body weight are associated with higher odds of menstrual irregularity. CONCLUSION: We found a U-shaped pattern of association between body weight changes and menstrual irregularity among obese women in the general Korean population. This result indicates that not only proper weight management but also changes in body weight may influence the regulation of the menstrual cycle.
