The association between diabetes and age at the onset of menopause: a systematic review protocol

BACKGROUND: Age at the onset of menopause is the most important determinant of women’s future health outcomes. While the basic mechanisms contributing to the onset of menopause are still not fully understood, age at menopause depends on a complex set of various factors. In this regard, the effects of diabetes (DM I/II) on the age at the onset of menopause have received little attention. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Electronic databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, EMBASE, and Google Scholar will be searched for articles published during January 2000 to August 2018 and containing combinations of related MeSH terms, i.e., “age at menopause” and “diabetes.” Additional studies will also be extracted from the reference lists of the selected papers, gray literature, and key journals in the field. A set of inclusion criteria will be defined, and all eligible observational studies will be included. Two reviewers will independently conduct the study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment of the selected studies. All cases of disagreement will be resolved through consensus. The methodological assessment of the primary studies will be performed based on the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). In case of the availability of sufficient data, fixed or random effects models will be used to combine all data. Heterogeneity will be assessed by I(2) statistic and chi-square test. Stata V.11.1 will be used for data analysis (CRD42017080789). ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This systematic review will not raise any ethical issues. Journal publication and conference presentations will facilitate the wide dissemination of the findings to relevant clinicians and researchers.