Sex-Based Differences in the Determinants of Old Age Life Expectancy: The Influence of Perimenopause

ABSTRACT

Studies using the sensitive periods framework typically examine the effects of early life exposures on later life health, due to the significant growth and development occurring during the first few years of life. The menopausal transition (i.e., perimenopause) is similarly characterized by rapid physiological change, yet rarely has been tested as a sensitive window in adulthood. Cohort mortality data drawn from three historic populations, Sweden (1751–1919), France (1816–1919), and England and Wales (1841–1919), were analyzed using time series methods to assess whether conditions at midlife significantly influenced or “programmed” later life longevity. Results indicated a significant inverse association between mortality at ages 45–49, the average age range in which perimenopause occurred, and life expectancy at age 60 among females in all three countries. Study findings suggest a degree of plasticity associated with women’s aging and, in particular, the age group correlated with perimenopause.

Acknowledgments

The author acknowledges and thanks Ralph Catalano for his technical assistance with the statistical analyses.

Funding

The author received financial support from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, grant # T32-HD007275.

Additional information

Funding

The author received financial support from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, grant # T32-HD007275.