Female Reproductive Factors Linked to Risk for COPD

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 14, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Multiple female reproductive factors are associated with the risk for chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), according to a study published online Feb. 13 in Thorax.

Chen Liang, from the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, and colleagues examined whether female reproductive factors are associated with the risk for COPD using data from women from three cohorts. A total of 283,070 women were included; after a median follow-up of 11 years, 3.8 percent developed COPD.

The researchers observed a U-shaped association between age at menarche and COPD (hazard ratios, 1.17 and 1.24 for ≤11 versus 13 and ≥16 versus 13, respectively). A higher risk for COPD was also seen for women with three or more children (hazard ratios, 1.14 and 1.34 for three and at least four, respectively, versus two), multiple miscarriages (hazard ratios, 1.28 and 1.36 for two and at least three, respectively, versus zero), and stillbirth (hazard ratios, 1.38 and 1.67 for one and at least two, respectively, versus zero). Earlier age at natural menopause was associated with an increased risk for COPD among postmenopausal women (hazard ratios, 1.69 and 1.42 for younger than 40 years and 40 to 44 years, respectively, versus 50 to 51 years).

"Health professionals should consider the potential risk of COPD among women with such reproductive histories," the authors write. "Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms linking multiple female reproductive histories and COPD."

Abstract/Full Text