The influence of anthropometric parameters on the concentration of globulin that binds sex hormones during the menopausal transition

To determine the effect of body mass index (BMI) and waist-hip ratio (WHR) on the concentration of circulating sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) throughout the menopausal transition. This cross-sectional study included 150 women divided into three groups: premenopausal (n=50), perimenopausal (n=50), and postmenopausal (n=50). The processing of the test women consisted of three phases: interview, blood sampling and determination of BMI and WHR. The SHBG concentration was determined from the blood, and BMI and WHR were measured. The BMI and WHR of the postmenopausal women were significantly higher comparing to the other two groups, while the postmenopausal SHBG was significantly lower compared to the premenopausal concentration. In all three groups, a significant negative correlation was found between SHBG and BMI (Rho= -0.385; p