Age of menopause in black women in South Africa

Abstract

Among South African black women in rural areas, breast cancer is rare and remains very uncommon among urban dwellers in Soweto, Johannesburg. Since time of menopause is an influencing factor in breast cancer in white women, mean times were determined in series of 1850 and 1255 black women in rural and urban areas, respectively. Using probit analysis, respective means were 49.5 (SD 4.7) years, and 48.9 (SD 4.2) years. Values thus differ little from those reported for white women. Obviously case control studies are needed to learn of the bearing of menopausal age on breast cancer proneness in this very-low-risk population.