Factors associated with early menopause in Bangladesh

Background
Early menopause is a risk factor for several health-related problems of women. No single study was available in literature to determine the associated factors for early menopause in Bangladesh.

Objectives
The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with early menopause in Bangladesh.

Material and methods
Data was extracted from the nationally representative Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2014. This data was collected from 17,863 married Bangladeshi women throughout the entire country using two-stage stratified cluster sampling. The BDHS 2014 report showed that women aged 30–49 years are estimated to be menopausal. Considering this estimation, we excluded women whose age was less than 30 years. Women whose menstrual periods had stopped because of pregnancy and postpartum amenorrhea, as well as those with some incomplete information and missing samples, were excluded from data. Consequently, 8,885 women were considered for this study. The chi-square test was used for bivariate analysis, and logistic regression was used as multivariate analysis.

Results
The prevalence of early menopause in Bangladesh was 10.80%. The binary multivariate logistic regression model demonstrated that women with no education were more likely to experience early menopause compared to women of higher education [AOR = 3.39, 95% CI: 2.22–5.20, p < 0.001]. A lower rate of early menopause was especially found among women who were living in the Sylhet division that were currently married and currently using contraceptive methods.

Conclusions
The stepwise binary logistic regression model exhibited that most of the significant predictors were modifiable factors for early menopause. Authorities should provide basic education on early menopause to less educated women.