The marked delay in reproductive onset observed in older alcoholic women may be related to the relative rarity of AD in older women, with AD representing a more severe phenotype than for younger women. Only four percent of women in Cohort I met criteria for AD, compared to 17% of men. In recent cohorts, lifetime prevalence of alcohol use disorders has increased, with larger increases observed for women than men (Hasin, Stinson, Ogburn, & Grant, 2007; Grant, 1997). Consistent with this trend, we observed 15% of women and 31% of men having met criteria for AD in Cohort II.
