A recent study revealed that women who started the menopausal period ahead of reaching menopausal age are at a significantly higher risk of hypertension.
As per study published in the journal Menopause, overall, premature menopause brought a 12% higher risk of high blood pressure in contrast to women who reached menopause after age 45.
Scientists discovered that nearly 23% of women with premature menopause and 19% of women with early menopause had hypertension, in contrast to the women under 17% of women with normal menopause
For the study, scientists assessed data from nearly 108,000 women participating in the UK Biobank, a large-scale health research project in the United Kingdom.
The women were enrolled between 2006 and 2010, and tracked through the end of 2023.
During the follow-up period, about 17% of the women overall were diagnosed with hypertension, with their risk rising as their age at menopause dropped.
The fact that risk peaks between menopause at 25 to 35 suggests that the cardiac health risk from premature menopause might be concentrated in young women, researchers said.
However, women who underwent early menopause due to surgical removal of their ovaries did not have a similar risk of hypertension, results further showed.
Medical director for The Menopause Society Dr. Stephanie Faubion stated, “The results of this study highlight the potential adverse long-term health outcomes associated with premature menopause, and in particular, the need to regularly screen for cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension.”
“Use of hormone therapy is also routinely recommended in women with premature menopause at least until the natural age of menopause unless contraindications exist,” Faubion added.
