Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Although menopause is a natural part of aging in women, the timing of the onset of menopause can reveal a lot about one’s future health risks. The average age of menopause in women is between 45 and 55 years, however, as many as 9.6% of the women can enter menopause earlier than the age of 45. Various cardiovascular outcomes such as total cholesterol, blood pressure and body weight have been shown to be associated with an earlier menopause. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), on the other hand, is characterized by the onset of glucose intolerance during pregnancy. Worldwide, the incidence of GDM has increased by more than 30%, making it one of the most common pregnancy complications. Along with increasing the risks of childbirth, GDM can have long-term effects on the mother’s health, including high blood pressure, reduction in good cholesterol levels and greater triglyceride levels post gestation as compared to women with normal pregnancies. Therefore, given that gestational diabetes can predispose women to worse cardiovascular health, which in turn is associated with premature menopause, we hypothesize that a direct association between GDM and the age at natural menopause might exist. This project will utilize data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging (CLSA)- a CIHR funded, national study on aging in Canada and will investigate the relationship between the incidence of GDM and the age at natural menopause. This will be the first study to look at this association and can help clinicians in Canada and around the world direct early and focussed care towards at-risk patients.