We aimed to evaluate the association between daily dietary calcium intake and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in postmenopausal women using data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). This cross-sectional study included 12,348 women aged 45–70 years who had reached natural menopause. They were classified into three groups according to daily dietary calcium intake: 800 mg. The risks of CVD, stroke, angina, and myocardial infarction were assessed in each group. Further, we performed subgroup analysis according to the post-menopause duration (≤10 vs. >10 postmenopausal years). We performed logistic regression analysis with adjustment for age, menopausal age, income, urban area, education, insulin use, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, high alcohol intake, smoking, exercise, oral contraceptive use, and hormonal therapy use. Calcium intake level was not significantly associated with the risk of CVD in the total population and the ≤10 postmenopausal years subgroup. However, in the >10 postmenopausal years subgroup, daily calcium intake >800 mg was associated with significantly decreased risks of all CVD (odds ratio [OR], 0.27; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.11–0.64), stroke (OR, 0.06; 95% CI, 0.01–0.42), and myocardial infarction (OR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.11–0.64). Our findings suggest that a dietary calcium intake of >800 mg/day decreases the risk of CVD events in women who have been menopausal for >10 years.

Kim S, et al. J Korean Med Sci. 2023 Nov;39(1):e9. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2024.39.e9

Background/Objectives: As the population of women with endometriosis increases, approximately 10% of those of reproductive age experience symptoms such as pelvic pain, painful menstruation, and infertility. Individuals with endometriosis usually undergo multiple surgeries due to the high recurrence rate of the condition. However, ovarian surgery tends to reduce the ovarian reserve, presenting a dilemma when deciding whether to recommend surgery or medical treatment for women of reproductive age. The impact of endometriomas on the residual volume of ovarian tissue remains controversial, and it is unclear whether endometriosis itself or endometriomas are the primary problem. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether women with endometriosis have lower levels of anti-Müllerian hormone than women with healthy ovaries before treatment initiation. Methods: A total of 298 participants enrolled in the endometriosis cohort at Severance Hospital, Korea, from 1 October 2020 to 1 July 2024 were included in this study. Of these, 63 participants were from a retrospective study, and 235 were from a prospective study. Due to the use of different assay methods between the reference values and anti-Müllerian hormone measurements from Severance Hospital, a correction was applied using the regression equation. The mean anti-Müllerian hormone levels for individuals with endometriosis were corrected with the regression equation and compared to those of the reference group for each age group using a one-sample t-test. Results: Anti-Müllerian hormone levels decreased with age in the endometriosis group. When comparing mean anti-Müllerian hormone concentrations between the endometriosis group and reference values, among 168 participants aged 20–31 years, the corrected mean anti-Müllerian hormone concentration was 5.96 ± 3.22 ng/mL, higher than the reference value of 4.94 ± 0.17 ng/mL (p < 0.01). Among 31 participants aged 35–37 years, the corrected average anti-Müllerian hormone value was 4.33 ± 3.06 ng/mL, compared to the reference anti-Müllerian hormone level of 3.22 ± 0.15 ng/mL (p = 0.05). There were no significant differences in corrected anti-Müllerian hormone levels between the 32–34-, 38–40-, 41–43-, and ≥44 years age groups. Conclusions: Patients with endometriosis, especially those aged 20–31 years, tended to have higher anti-Müllerian hormone levels than did individuals with healthy ovaries. In other age groups, there were no differences. Given that these levels do not differ significantly across age groups, it is difficult to conclude that patients with endometriosis have a reduced ovarian reserve.

Chung YS, et al. Yonsei Med J. 2025 Aug;66:e74. https://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2024.0518

Background/Objectives: The prognosis of endometriosis-related ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) versus non-endometriosis-associated OCCC remains unclear. We examined the impact of endometriosis on OCCC diagnosis and progression and assessed whether prior surgical intervention for endometriotic ovarian cysts affects prognosis. Methods: In this retrospective study (2006–2024), OCCC patients were classified as non-endometriosis-associated or endometriosis-related. A subgroup analysis compared endometriosis-related OCCC patients with and without a history of endometriotic ovarian cyst surgery. Results: The average CA-125 level was 104.20 (29.90, 347.70) in the non-endometriosis-associated OCCC group and 80.70 (32.40, 247.90) in the endometriosis-related OCCC group (p = 0.32). Early-stage diagnosis occurred in 62.77% and 75.21% of these groups, respectively (p = 0.046). The average age at diagnosis was 53.95 ± 9.71 years for the non-endometriosis-associated group and 45.68 ± 7.98 years for the endometriosis-related group (p < 0.001). Mortality or poor prognosis was observed in 24.11% and 17.80% of these groups, respectively (p = 0.226). In endometriosis-related OCCC, comparisons were made between patients with and without a history of endometriotic ovarian cyst surgery. The average age at diagnosis was 45.84 ± 8.24 years for those without a surgical history and 44.71 ± 6.35 years for those with a surgical history (p = 0.59). Early-stage diagnosis was observed in 77.23% and 62.50%, respectively (p = 0.339). Mortality or poor prognosis occurred in 14.85% of those without a surgical history and 35.29% of those with a surgical history (p = 0.008). The hazard ratio for women with a surgical history was 3.48 (1.29–8.69) (p = 0.008). The incidence rate was 3.17 per 1000 person-years (PYRs) for individuals without surgery and 13.36 per 1000 PYRs for those with a history of surgical intervention (p = 0.008). Conclusions: Endometriosis did not impact the prognosis of women with OCCC. However, women with endometriosis-related OCCC were diagnosed at earlier stages and at younger ages. A history of endometriotic ovarian cyst surgery did not influence OCCC detection but was linked to poorer survival outcomes.

Objectives: To investigate the association between relative handgrip strength (RHGS) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Korean postmenopausal women, and whether this association differs by time since menopause. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 4,098 naturally postmenopausal women aged 45-65 years from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2014-2019). RHGS was calculated as the dominant handgrip strength divided by body mass index and categorized into quartiles. MetS was defined using the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria with an Asian-specific waist circumference cutoff (≥85 cm). Survey-weighted logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for MetS and its components across RHGS quartiles. Subgroup analyses were stratified by time since menopause (≤10 vs. >10 y). Results: Lower RHGS was significantly associated with higher odds of MetS. Compared with Q1 (reference), adjusted ORs for MetS were 0.49 (95% CI: 0.40-0.60) in Q2, 0.28 (0.22-0.34) in Q3, and 0.17 (0.13-0.21) in Q4 ( P for trend 10 years postmenopause, with OR for Q4 versus Q1 at 0.04 (0.02-0.08) compared with 0.07 (0.05-0.10) in those ≤10 years. Conclusion: Lower RHGS is independently and dose-dependently associated with increased odds of MetS, particularly among women beyond 10 years postmenopause. RHGS may serve as a simple, low-cost tool for identifying women at elevated cardiometabolic risk in later life.