BACKGROUND: Anemia is known to cause spurious hemoglobin Alc (HbAlc) results. The effect of menstruation on HbAlc was tested by correlating it to FPG in non-anemic premenopausal and in menopausal women.
METHOD: Non-diabetic, non-obese middle-aged Caucasian women were classified as premenopausal or menopausal. Hemogram, FPG, and Alc results were obtained.
RESULTS: Hemoglobin concentrations were lower in the premenopausal group. FPG showed a poor correlation to Alc value ...