Objective To investigate the relationship of one-hour postload plasma glucose (1h-PG) levels with atherosclerotic risk factors and metabolic syndrome (MS) between pre-menopause and post-menopause in a group of nondiabetic population, and to determine the possible cut point of 1h-PG for MS in postmenopausal women. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed in our hospital during August to October 2013, and the women (aged from 30 to 70 years) who were in hospital for routine check-up at the Medical Examination Center were enrolled. All subjects underwent laboratory examinations of oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), lipid, and anthropometric measurements (height, body mass and waistline). Diabetes were excluded according to the results of OGTT. According to their menstrual status, the subjects were divided into 2 groups: premenopausal group (n＝143) and postmenopausal group (n=145). MS was defined according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria. The relationship of 1h-PG and MS of women in different stage of menopause was analyzed, and the cut point of 1h-PG for MS in postmenopausal women was determined. Results (1) Triglycerides, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly higher in postmenopausal group than in premenopausal group (P＜0.05). (2) Subjects in postmenopausal group had higher plasma glucose and insulin levels in each time point of OGTT accordingly when compared with premenopausal group (P＜0.05). Homeostasis Model Assessment-Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) was also significantly higher in the former group (P＜0.05). (3) The incidence of MS was 13.39% (22/143) in premenopausal group and 32.40% (47/145) in postmenopausal group, with significant difference between the 2 groups (Chi-square＝11.46, P＝0.01). (4) The logistic regression analysis for MS showed that MS was significantly associated with 1h-PG (OR＝1.849, 95% CI＝1.557?2.195, P＜0.001). (5) When the cut-off value of 1h-PG was defined at 8.70mmol/L, the sensitivity of 1h-PG for predicting MS was 87.50%, the specificity was 81.44%, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was 0.907, and Youden index was 0.689 in post-menopausal group. Conclusion MS is closely related to 1h-PG in both pre-menopausal and post-menopausal nondiabetic women. When the cut point of 1h-PG is 8.70mmol/L, it is a selectable marker to predict MS in postmenopausal woman, and represents useful in clinical practice for early intervention or treatment.