Impact of Premature Ovarian Failure on Mortality and Morbidity among Chinese Women

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate associations of premature ovarian failure (POF) with mortality and morbidity in Asian populations. METHODS: We identified 1,003 cases of POF among 36,402 postmenopausal women who participated in the Shanghai Women's Health Study, a population-based cohort study. Cox regression and logistic regression models were applied in data analysis. RESULTS: After adjustment for potential confounding factors, we found that POF increased the risk of total and cancer-specific mortality (HR (95%CIs): 1.29 (1.08–1.54) and 1.38 (1.05–1.81), respectively). POF was also associated with high prevalence of autoimmune disease (OR (95%CI): 1.56 (1.04–2.35)) but decreased incidence of breast cancer (OR (95%CI): 0.59 (0.38–0.91)). Similar results were observed when hormone replacement therapy users were excluded from the analysis. POF is associated with high waist-to-hip ratio. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that women with POF experience increased mortality and that these women may benefit from heightened surveillance and appropriate interventions.