| Title: | The secure anonymised information linkage databank menopause e-cohort (SAIL-MENO) |
| Journal: | Informatics in Medicine Unlocked |
| Published: | 1 Jun 2026 |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.imu.2026.101766 |
Publication 19821
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Abstract
Menopause is a midlife transition for women leading to a permanent postmenopausal state. The Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank, containing anonymised, routinely collected healthcare data for the population of Wales, UK, provides a unique opportunity for menopause research due to its size, longitudinal follow-up and data collection during clinical care. We aimed to create the SAIL Menopause e-Cohort (SAIL-MENO), to study menopause and maximize the cohort's utility for research on menopause. We utilized linked primary care, hospital admission, mortality and demographic data from the SAIL Databank. To identify women with menopause-related health events, we developed algorithms to capture records of menopause-related symptoms, surgeries, prescriptions or diagnoses from women aged 18-65 from 1996 to 2023. To validate the cohort, we compared the prevalence of bilateral oophorectomy, hot flushes, premature menopause, menopause between ages 40-65 and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use with prevalence rates in UK Biobank. Out of 2,557,592 women in the SAIL Databank (1996-2023), 1,282,994 were aged 18-65 and registered with a SAIL GP. 22% had menopause onset, 18.6% had symptomatic menopause, 2.2% had surgical menopause and 1.6% had premature menopause. Comparing SAIL-MENO to UK Biobank similar prevalence rates were found for premature menopause, hot flushes, bilateral oophorectomy and HRT use but fewer women appeared to have menopause in SAIL (29%) than UK Biobank (54%), possibly as age at menopause is under-recorded in GP data. We have established a national, generalisable menopause e-Cohort, which provides a robust foundation for epidemiological research for researchers into menopause using electronic health data.</p>
3 Authors
- Robin A.F. Andrews
- Arron S. Lacey
- Emma J. Kidd
1 Application
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 101406 | Investigating the Effects of Menopause on Longevity |
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