Table 1.
Characteristics of postmenopausal women in the Nurses’ Health Study according to menopausal hormone therapy use in 2008
| Menopausal Hormone Therapy Use | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Never (N=12,538) | Past (N=36,762) | Current (N=6,528) | |
| Age (y), mean (SD) | 73.5 (6.8) | 73.0 (6.6) | 71.0 (6.2) |
| Age range (y) | 61.5–89.0 | 61.5–89.3 | 61.5–88.6 |
|
| |||
| Race (% nonwhite) | 6 | 6 | 4 |
|
| |||
| Age (y) at menopause, mean (SD) | 50.8 (7.8) | 48.0 (7.3) | 46.6 (8.9) |
|
| |||
| BMI (%), kg/m2 | |||
| <20 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
| 20–24.9 | 34 | 38 | 46 |
| 25–29.9 | 33 | 33 | 31 |
| ≥30 | 27 | 22 | 16 |
|
| |||
| Leisure-time exercise (%) | |||
| <4 METsa. | 21 | 18 | 15 |
| 4–7 METs | 13 | 12 | 10 |
| ≥ 8 METs | 66 | 70 | 75 |
|
| |||
| Smoking (%) | |||
| Never | 47 | 45 | 47 |
| Past | 46 | 50 | 49 |
| Current | 7 | 5 | 4 |
|
| |||
| Age (y) at menarche (%) | |||
| ≤10 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| 11 | 16 | 17 | 16 |
| 12 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| 13 | 31 | 31 | 32 |
| ≥14 | 19 | 19 | 19 |
|
| |||
| Ever used oral contraceptives (%) | 42 | 54 | 63 |
|
| |||
| Parity (%) | |||
| 0 | 5 | 5 | 7 |
| 1 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| 2 | 27 | 30 | 34 |
| ≥3 | 62 | 58 | 51 |
|
| |||
| Menopause type (%) | |||
| Natural | 75 | 55 | 40 |
| Surgical/radiation | 25 | 45 | 60 |
|
| |||
| Diabetes Mellitus (%) | 11 | 10 | 6 |
|
| |||
| Hypertension (%) | 50 | 52 | 48 |
|
| |||
| Neurologic diseaseb. (%) | 2 | 3 | 1 |
|
| |||
| Cholecystectomy (%) | 15 | 18 | 17 |
NOTE: Values are means (SD) or percentages.
a
MET= metabolic equivalent of task
b
Defined as a confirmed diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, or Parkinson’s disease