RT Journal Article
T1 Describing the status of reproductive ageing simply and precisely: A reproductive ageing score based on three questions and validated with hormone levels
A1 Triebner, Kai
A1 Johannessen, Ane
A1 Svanes, Cecilie
A1 Sánchez Ramos, José Luis
AB ObjectiveMost women live to experience menopause and will spend 4–8 years transitioning from fer-tile age to full menstrual stop. Biologically, reproductive ageing is a continuous process, butby convention, it is defined categorically as pre-, peri- and postmenopause; categories thatare sometimes supported by measurements of sex hormones in blood samples. We aimedto develop and validate a new tool, a reproductive ageing score (RAS), that could give a sim-ple and yet precise description of the status of reproductive ageing, without hormone mea-surements, to be used by health professionals and researchers.MethodsQuestionnaire data on age, menstrual regularity and menstrual frequency was provided bythe large multicentre population-based RHINE cohort. A continuous reproductive ageing score was developed from these variables, using techniques of fuzzy mathematics, to gen-erate a decimal number ranging from 0.00 (nonmenopausal) to 1.00 (postmenopausal). TheRAS was then validated with sex hormone measurements (follicle stimulating hormone and17β-estradiol) and interview-data provided by the large population-based ECRHS cohort,using receiver-operating characteristics (ROC).ResultsThe RAS, developed from questionnaire data of the RHINE cohort, defined with high preci-sion and accuracy the menopausal status as confirmed by interview and hormone data inthe ECRHS cohort. The area under the ROC curve was 0.91 (95% Confidence interval (CI):0.90–0.93) to distinguish nonmenopausal women from peri- and postmenopausal women,and 0.85 (95% CI: 0.83–0.88) to distinguish postmenopausal women from nonmenopausaland perimenopausal women.ConclusionsThe RAS provides a useful and valid tool for describing the status of reproductive ageingaccurately, on a continuous scale from 0.00 to 1.00, based on simple questions and withoutrequiring blood sampling. The score allows for a more precise differentiation than the con-ventional categorisation in pre-, peri- and postmenopause. This is useful for epidemiologicalresearch and clinical trials.
PB Public Library of Science
SN 1932-6203
YR 2020
FD 2020-06
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10272/18486
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10272/18486
LA eng
NO Triebner, K., Johannessen, A., Svanes, C. ... Sánchez Ramos, J. L. (2020). Describing the status of reproductive ageing simply and precisely: A reproductive ageing score based on three questions and validated with hormone levels. PLOS ONE, 15(6), e0235478. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0235478
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
RD 1 jun 2026