{
  "abstract": "Purpose: To examine reproductive factors and pain in middle-aged and older Chinese women.\n\nMethods: We used CHARLS data, combining the core survey with the Life History reproductive module. The cross-sectional analysis included 8532 women in 2018; the longitudinal analysis included 3856 women pain-free at the 2011 baseline with pain assessments in 2013, 2015, or 2018. The outcome was self-reported any pain, not clinically diagnosed chronic pain. Survey-weighted logistic regression estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Menopause exposures were evaluated in a postmenopausal-baseline sensitivity analysis; musculoskeletal pain sensitivity analyses tested robustness.\n\nResults: Cross-sectionally, three or more biological children (vs one, OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.06–1.61) and three or more miscarriages (vs none, OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.07–3.13) were associated with prevalent self-reported any pain in 2018. Longitudinally, 2743 women first reported pain during follow-up. Menarche after age 18 was associated with lower odds of first reported pain in the primary cumulative model (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.49–0.87) and the discrete-time person-period analysis (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.61–0.92). Three or more miscarriages were associated with higher odds in the primary longitudinal model (OR 3.66, 95% CI 1.01–13.32) but were imprecise and not significant in the person-period analysis. Early menopause was associated with follow-up pain only in the postmenopausal-baseline sensitivity analysis (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.08–2.40). Cross-sectional findings were supported by musculoskeletal pain sensitivity analyses.\n\nConclusion: Later age at menarche was associated with lower odds of self-reported follow-up pain across two complete-case longitudinal modeling approaches, a signal that requires confirmation. Higher parity and multiple miscarriages were associated with prevalent pain cross-sectionally. The longitudinal signals for multiple miscarriages and early menopause were less robust and exploratory. Because the outcome was self-reported any pain rather than clinically diagnosed chronic pain, these associations are hypothesis-generating; prospective studies with standardized, chronic-pain-specific outcomes are needed.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shunyi Maternal and Children’s Hospital of Beijing Children’s Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ning Ding",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9006-972X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Hongmin Sun"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jie Zhao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ying Xie"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Shuna Bu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Xin Mi"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cmk4y0k67evz3.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.2147/ijwh.s632451",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13733394/",
  "id": "cmk4y0k67evz3",
  "issns": [
    "1179-1411"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.2147/ijwh.s632451",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Original Research"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2712|Menopause: Health Impacts and Treatments"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7224906030",
  "pdf_url": "https://charls.charlsdata.com/Public/ashelf/public/uploads/document/2013-charls-wave2/application/CHARLS_Wave2_CodeBook.pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13733394",
  "pmid": "42985607",
  "published": "2026-10-31",
  "publisher": "Dove Press",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cmk4y0k67evz3.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-08T12:23:10Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13733394",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.2147/ijwh.s632451"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2712|Menopause: Health Impacts and Treatments",
      "subfield": "endocrinology-metabolism"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Reproductive Factors and Pain Among Middle-Aged and Older Chinese Women: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Evidence from CHARLS",
  "title_text": "Reproductive Factors and Pain Among Middle-Aged and Older Chinese Women: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Evidence from CHARLS",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-08T12:23:10Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cmk4y0k67evz3",
  "venue": "International Journal of Women's Health",
  "versions": []
}