Abstract
Objective: To investigate the relationship between self-reported osteoarthritis (OA) and reproductive factors in the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI). Method: We used multivariable logistic regression to study the association of self-reported OA and reproductive factors in the WHI Observational Study and Clinical Trial cohorts of 145 965 postmenopausal women, in a retrospective cross-sectional format. Results: In our cohort, we observed no clinically significant associations between reproductive factors and OA given small effect sizes. The following factors were associated with statistically significant increased likelihood of developing OA: younger age at menarche (p < 0.001), history of hysterectomy [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.013, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.004–1.022, p = 0.04 vs no hysterectomy], history of unilateral oophorectomy (aOR 1.015, 95% CI 1.004–1.026, p < 0.01 vs no oophorectomy), parity (aOR 1.017, 95% CI 1.009–1.026, p < 0.001), ever use of oral contraceptives (aOR 1.008, 95% CI 1.001–1.016, p < 0.01 vs never use), and current use of hormonal therapy (reference current users, aOR 0.951, 95% CI 0.943–0.959 for never users; aOR 0.981, 95% CI 0.972–0.989 for past users; global p < 0.001). Age at menopause, first birth, and pregnancy were not associated with OA. Among parous women, no clear pattern was observed with number of pregnancies, births, or duration of breastfeeding in relation to OA. Conclusion: Our study showed that reproductive factors did not have significant clinical associations with OA after controlling for confounders. This may be due to complex hormonal effects. Additional investigation is warranted in prospective cohort studies. The Women’s Health Initiative is registered under ClinicalTrials.gov. Trial registration ID: NCT00000611.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 58-67 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology |
| Volume | 50 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2021 |
Funding
This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health. The Women’s Health Initiative programme is funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services through contracts HHSN268201100046C, HHSN268201100001C, HHSN268201100002C, HHSN268201100003C, HHSN268201100004C, and HHSN271201100004C. The funders had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; or decision to submit the manuscript for publication.Short list of WHI investigators: https://www.whi.org/researchers/Documents%20%20Write%20a%20Paper/WHI%20Investigator%20Short%20List.pdf We acknowledge the dedicated efforts of investigators and staff at the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) clinical centres, the WHI Clinical Coordinating Center, and the National Heart, Lung and Blood program office (listing available at http://www.whi.org). We also recognize the WHI participants for their extraordinary commitment to the WHI programme.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Rheumatology
- Immunology and Allergy
- Immunology
