Published on
Updated
Reading 4 mins.
According to a recent 12-year study, women with abnormal menstrual cycles have a 19% higher risk of heart disease. Something you need to know to take better care of yourself in the long term.
Do you know of irregular periods? A new study should urge you to take care of your heart health, perhaps more than another woman. Indeed, beyond the inconvenience of not having a regular menstrual rhythm, irregular periods would increase the risk of heart disease in women by 19% and irregular heartbeat by 40% according to a team of Chinese researchers who have published its results in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
More cardiac events in women with irregular rhythm
The study was based on analysis of health data from over 58,000 healthy women, sourced from the UK BioBank, who reported their cycle length at the start of a 12-year follow-up period. . The menstrual cycle is counted from the first day of one period to the first day of the next. Periods are called irregular when the length of a menstrual cycle unexpectedly falls outside the regular range, usually less than 21 days or more than 35 days. The average age of the participants, none of whom had cardiovascular disease at the start of the study, was 46.
After 11 years and eight months of study, researchers recorded 1,623 “cardiovascular events” among the participants including 827 incident cases of coronary heart disease, 199 heart attacks, 271 strokes, 174 cases of heart failure and 393 cases of atrial fibrillation or irregular heartbeat.
By crossing these events with the regular or irregular cycles of these women, several observations have been made:
- More than 1.7% of women with irregular cycles developed coronary heart disease (CHD), (the result of plaque buildup on the artery walls which then restricts the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart). While 1.3% of women with regular periods have developed this pathology;
- Similarly, almost 1% of women with irregular cycles have developed atrial fibrillation, while this rate reaches about 0.6% in those with regular cycles;
- In the end, 3.4% of women with irregular cycles developed heart disease, compared to about 2.5% of those with normal periods.
Estrogen levels at stake?
The link between menstrual cycles and heart disease is not yet fully determined. But previous research has already shown that heart disease and high blood pressure are linked to polycystic ovary syndrome.
Researchers point to the role of estrogen, for example, which drops after ovulation but gradually increases. This hormone helps tissues and blood vessels stay soft and flexible, contributing to healthy blood circulation, keeping blood pressure low, raising HDL (good) cholesterol and absorbing harmful free radicals.
Although irregular cycles are common, these would thus reflect a malfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, a very finely regulated network that controls female reproduction. For Huijie Zhang, professor at Southern Medical University in China and lead author of the study: “Given the increasing prevalence of heart disease – with 45% of women in Western countries affected – and the associated mortality, there is a need to explore these risk factors.”
While waiting to know a little more about this link, these discoveries can only invite women to take better care of themselves, especially on the cardiac side: “These findings have important public health implications for the prevention of atrial fibrillation and heart attacks in women and underscore the importance of monitoring menstrual cycle characteristics throughout a woman’s reproductive life.” concludes Dr. Zhang.
“Do you have short cycles? Talk to your doctor”
For Claire Mounier-Véhier, cardiologist and at the origin of the Foundation Acting for the heart of women, the study has the advantage of updating a new risk factor to refine even more the prevention of heart disease.
“We knew that menstrual irregularity could be linked to hypertension, obesity, but this study is even more precise because it is based on a prospective cohort that includes many cardiovascular events, which means that the results can be reliably interpreted.
Among the elements revealed by the study, several fit together like a puzzle for the cardiologist:
“The study shows that having irregular cycles, short or long, is primarily associated with an increased risk of a common heart condition called atrial fibrillation. Irregular rhythms also happen in women who are generally a little rounder, with a little more triglycerides, bad cholesterol and also hypertensive. Also factors of atrial fibrillation. Short cycles are also more problematic than long ones because estrogen deficiency also translates to a higher risk of myocardial infarction. And because smoking also shortens cycles, this association between short cycle and heart risks is even more pronounced in female smokers.”
The message is therefore clear for Dr. Mounier-Véhier:
“On the doctors’ side, this means that we must add this history to our files, especially when we know that irregular cycles affect one in four women. On the women’s side, this means: watch your weight, adopt good hygiene life, have your blood sugar and lipids checked regularly and don’t be afraid to bring up the subject of your cycle during a medical consultation”.
An important message when you know that atrial fibrillation has a worse prognosis in women than in men, and that it is the leading cause of stroke in women.
Slide: 16 tips to prevent cardiovascular disease