Adolescent pregnancy; a determinant of bone mineral density in peri-menopausal women?

Objective: The present study aims to determine the effects of a history of adolescent pregnancy (AP) on the bone mineral density (BMD) of perimenopausal women. Methods: Overall, 240 women aged between 40 and 55 years, with a complaint of oligomenorrhea or amenorrhea not exceeding 1 year in duration, were evaluated. Evaluation included a DEXA scan and a detailed demographic survey for bone health. Comparison was made between women with a history of AP and those without. Results: In total, 87 women who had a history of AP were compared with 153 women who did not have a history of AP. The study groups did not differ significantly for most of the evaluated demographic factors. Women with a history of AP had higher gravidity and parity. Comparison of T-scores revealed lumbar BMD to be unaffected by AP (P = 0.184), whereas femoral BMD was positively influenced by a history of AP (0.78 +/- 0.65 vs - 1.06 +/- 0.67; P = 0.042). In covariance regression models, after adjusting for parity and age of first menarche, AP still positively influenced femoral BMD. Without a history of AP, women were at increased risk for osteoporosis of femoral neck (odds ratio, 2.8,95% CI 1.75-4.8). Conclusions: The effects of AP on BMD are not well elucidated. Women with a history of AP had better femoral BMD scores, indicating a possible protective influence of AP on bone health. Brief summary: Pregnancy during adolescence is associated with a better femoral bone mineral density than pregnancy at an older age. However, the effects did not extend to lumbar spine bone mineral density. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.