Long Menstrual Cycle Is Associated with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Korean Women

Abstract

Background: Long menstrual cycle is a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in women. We aimed to evaluate the association between existing type 2 diabetes and oligomenorrhea before diagnosis of diabetes, and to observe the differences in this association among obese and non-obese Korean women. Methods: Patients with type 2 diabetes (n=118) and without any clinical evidence of abnormal glucose regulation (n=258) who attended the outpatient clinic of a university hospital and were over age 30. Patients self-reporting a menstrual cycle over 40 days during their 20s were defined as oligomenorrhea before diagnosis of diabetes. Obesity was defined as having a body mass index (BMI) over 25 kg/m 2 . Results: The frequency of oligomenorrhea before diagnosis of diabetes was almost two-fold higher in women with type 2 diabetes than in the control group (16.1% vs. 8.5%, P=0.03). Oligomenorrhea was associated with type 2 diabetes after adjusting for age, BMI, systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (odds ratio, 3.89; 95% confidence interval, 1.37 to 11.04). Among women with oligomenorrhea before diagnosis of diabetes, the frequency of type 2 diabetes was significantly higher in obese subjects than in their non-obese counterparts (90.9% vs. 30.0%, P=0.03). Conclusion: Having a long menstrual cycle could be a risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes, especially in obese women.

Reproductive Health and Metabolic Parameters in Women with Type 2 Diabetes

“…One small study in Korean women reported that the frequency of oligomenorrhea was about two-fold higher in women with T2DM vs. controls (16.1% vs. 8.5%). 19 Similar results were shown in a North Indian study reporting that the prevalence of oligomenorrhea was higher in obese vs. non-obese women with T2DM vs. healthy controls (16.4% vs. 8.8% vs. 0%; p = 0.014). 20 It seems that there is a bidirectional relationship between T2DM and menstrual cycle irregularities, as several studies have shown that women with irregular menstrual cycles have a significantly higher risk for developing T2DM.…”

Menstrual and reproductive factors and type 2 diabetes risk: The Japan Public Health Center‐based Prospective Study

“…A meta-analysis study showed that early menarche was correlated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes 11 , whereas hormone-replacement therapy in postmenopausal women was linked to a reduced risk 15 . Although the evidence is mixed, early menopause 5,6 , long or irregular menstrual cycle [16][17][18][19] and postmenopausal status 6,10 have been linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Here, however, we did not find any associations between these factors and type 2 diabetes risk.…”

The visceral adiposity index as a predictor of insulin resistance in young women with polycystic ovary syndrome

“…It is characterized by hyperandrogenemia, chronic anovulation, and polycystic ovary morphology. Insulin resistance is a key pathophysiologic feature relating to the metabolic dysfunction associated with PCOS, and women with PCOS are more likely to have central obesity, glucose intolerance or type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension than normally cycling women (3)(4)(5).…”