Is air pollution a risk factor for early menopause?
Abstract Background Ambient air pollution is a serious public health issue that may influence reproductive health, including fertility and menopause onset in women worldwide. Thus, understanding the risk factors associated with early menopause is crucial to inform women about potential health risks...
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| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-04-01
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| Series: | BMC Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-21604-y |
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| author | Joyce Mary Kim Surabhi Shah Jieun Min Kyungah Jeong Eun-Hee Ha |
| author_facet | Joyce Mary Kim Surabhi Shah Jieun Min Kyungah Jeong Eun-Hee Ha |
| author_sort | Joyce Mary Kim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Ambient air pollution is a serious public health issue that may influence reproductive health, including fertility and menopause onset in women worldwide. Thus, understanding the risk factors associated with early menopause is crucial to inform women about potential health risks and guide public health interventions. Methods We collected data from KHANES (The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) at the Korean Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Ministry of Health and Welfare between 2010 and 2020. These data were linked with summary pollution data from AiMS-CREATE (AI-Machine Learning and Statistics Collaborative Research Ensemble for Air Pollution, Temperature, and All Types of Environmental Exposures) from 2002 to 2020. These summary data encapsulate the monthly average air pollution predictions for 226 si-gun-gu (cities, counties, and districts) in Korea. A total of 8506 participants who had experienced menopause (early menopause: 40–44 years, N = 341; normal menopause: ≥ 45 years, N = 8165) between 2002 and 2020 were included in the analysis. We employed survey logistic regression analyses to determine the associations between ambient air pollution and menopause after adjusting for covariates. Results An association was observed between particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) and early menopause (adjusted survey logistic regression (aOR): 1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.21–1.31), between particulate matter 10 (PM10) and early menopause (aOR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.14–1.20). Conclusion Our findings suggest that exposure to ambient air pollution may contribute to the onset of menopause, emphasizing the importance of addressing air quality as a public health priority. This study highlights the need for further research to explore the underlying mechanisms and long-term health impacts of environmental factors associated with early menopause. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b78710f708514140a4e8eac0b403f63b |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-b78710f708514140a4e8eac0b403f63b2025-08-20T02:27:15ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582025-04-0125111010.1186/s12889-025-21604-yIs air pollution a risk factor for early menopause?Joyce Mary Kim0Surabhi Shah1Jieun Min2Kyungah Jeong3Eun-Hee Ha4Graduate Program in System Health Science and Engineering, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans UniversityDepartment of Environmental Medicine, School of Medicine, Ewha Womans UniversityGraduate Program in System Health Science and Engineering, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans UniversityDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans UniversityGraduate Program in System Health Science and Engineering, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans UniversityAbstract Background Ambient air pollution is a serious public health issue that may influence reproductive health, including fertility and menopause onset in women worldwide. Thus, understanding the risk factors associated with early menopause is crucial to inform women about potential health risks and guide public health interventions. Methods We collected data from KHANES (The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) at the Korean Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Ministry of Health and Welfare between 2010 and 2020. These data were linked with summary pollution data from AiMS-CREATE (AI-Machine Learning and Statistics Collaborative Research Ensemble for Air Pollution, Temperature, and All Types of Environmental Exposures) from 2002 to 2020. These summary data encapsulate the monthly average air pollution predictions for 226 si-gun-gu (cities, counties, and districts) in Korea. A total of 8506 participants who had experienced menopause (early menopause: 40–44 years, N = 341; normal menopause: ≥ 45 years, N = 8165) between 2002 and 2020 were included in the analysis. We employed survey logistic regression analyses to determine the associations between ambient air pollution and menopause after adjusting for covariates. Results An association was observed between particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) and early menopause (adjusted survey logistic regression (aOR): 1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.21–1.31), between particulate matter 10 (PM10) and early menopause (aOR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.14–1.20). Conclusion Our findings suggest that exposure to ambient air pollution may contribute to the onset of menopause, emphasizing the importance of addressing air quality as a public health priority. This study highlights the need for further research to explore the underlying mechanisms and long-term health impacts of environmental factors associated with early menopause.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-21604-yAir pollutionParticulate matterEarly menopauseEnvironment epidemiologyWomen’s health |
| spellingShingle | Joyce Mary Kim Surabhi Shah Jieun Min Kyungah Jeong Eun-Hee Ha Is air pollution a risk factor for early menopause? BMC Public Health Air pollution Particulate matter Early menopause Environment epidemiology Women’s health |
| title | Is air pollution a risk factor for early menopause? |
| title_full | Is air pollution a risk factor for early menopause? |
| title_fullStr | Is air pollution a risk factor for early menopause? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Is air pollution a risk factor for early menopause? |
| title_short | Is air pollution a risk factor for early menopause? |
| title_sort | is air pollution a risk factor for early menopause |
| topic | Air pollution Particulate matter Early menopause Environment epidemiology Women’s health |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-21604-y |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT joycemarykim isairpollutionariskfactorforearlymenopause AT surabhishah isairpollutionariskfactorforearlymenopause AT jieunmin isairpollutionariskfactorforearlymenopause AT kyungahjeong isairpollutionariskfactorforearlymenopause AT eunheeha isairpollutionariskfactorforearlymenopause |