Reproductive health factors in relation to risk of hypertension in postmenopausal women: Results from NHANES 2011–2014

Abstract

Few studies have systematically assessed the relationship between multiple reproductive factors and hypertension, and these limited studies paid more attention to age at menarche and menopause, abortion, or the number of live births, and yielded controversial results. This study aimed to explore the relationship between reproductive health factors and hypertension from 5 aspects: history of menstruation, pregnancy, delivery, gynecological surgery, and reproductive-related medication use. We analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011 to 2014. Data on reproductive factors were collected using a questionnaire survey. The associations between multiple reproductive factors and the risk of hypertension were assessed using multivariable logistic regression models. There were significant inverse associations between age at menopause (odds ratio [OR] = 0.984, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.971–0.998, P = .0234 per 1-year increase), age at first live birth (OR = 0.970, 95% CI: 0.944–0.998, P = .0346 per 1-year increase), age at last live birth (OR = 0.982, 95% CI: 0.964–0.999, P = .0488 per 1-year increase), and the risk of hypertension. In contrast, a positive association was found between the risk of hypertension and a history of gestational diabetes (OR = 1.693, 95% CI: 1.042–2.751, P = .0333), hysterectomy (OR = 1.398, 95% CI: 1.139–1.717, P = .0014), ovariectomy (OR = 1.374, 95% CI: 1.074–1.758, P = .0115), and birth control pill use (OR = 1.293, 95% CI: 1.035–1.616, P = .0236). Age at menopause but not menarche, is inversely associated with hypertension. A history of gestational diabetes, hysterectomy, ovariectomy, or birth control pills was associated with a higher risk of hypertension.