Age at menopause is associated with cardiovascular disease, but little is known of its relationship with diabetes, and previous findings are controversial. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between earlier menopause (at age ≤45 years) and the prevalence of diabetes in the Chinese population.

A total of 16,299 postmenopausal women, aged 42.0–94.3 years, who completed the study questionnaires, underwent medical examinations and provided blood samples, were included in our analysis. Participants self-reported their age at menopause and were then divided into three age groups (≤45, 46–52, ≥53years). Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Of the study participants, 2811 (17.2%) had diabetes. The average age at menopause was 49.5±3.3 years. For each 1-year delay in menopausal age, the presence of diabetes was reduced by 2% (OR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.97–0.99) after adjusting for potential confounding factors. Compared with those whose menopausal age was 46–52 years, the OR for diabetes was 1.20 (95% CI: 1.03–1.39) for those with an earlier menopausal age (≤45years).

Our findings suggest that earlier menopause may be independently associated with an increased prevalence of diabetes. Future prospective studies are needed to verify this relationship.