Ovarian volume and menopausal status

Objective: The purposes of this study were to (1) examine whether ovarian v olume differs by age and menopausal status in healthy women; (2) evaluate w hether ovarian volume could be a sensitive and specific predictor of menopa usal status; and (3) assess whether ovarian volume is affected by cigarette smoke, oral contraceptives (OCs), and hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Design: Each participant (527 women) completed an extensive in-home intervi ew that assessed age, menopausal status, smoking history, OC use, and HRT u se. Each participant also received a transvaginal ultrasound that measured ovarian volume. Geometric means for ovarian volume were compared between pr emenopausal and postmenopausal women using t tests. Tests for trends were c onducted using linear regression analyses. Results: Ovarian volume declined with age (p less than or equal to 0.0001) and also differed by menopausal status; postmenopausal women had smaller ov arian volumes than premenopausal women of the same age (p less than or equa l to 0,0001), Ovarian volume was not associated with smoking history or HRT use. However, it was significantly smaller in current users of OCs compare d with past users of or those who never used OCs (p less than or equal to 0 .0001). Ovarian volume was a sensitive and specific predictor of postmenopa usal status. Conclusions: The data suggest that age, menopausal status, and OC use may b e determinants of ovarian volume, They also suggest that ovarian volume may be useful for predicting menopausal status in women. (Menopause 2000;7:53- 61. (C) 2000, The North American Menopause Society.).