Latest study suggests that the timing of menarche, or the first menstrual cycle, may be connected to heart diseases in women.
The average age at which females start their menstrual cycle is 13 years. However, some girls may start menstruating a few years earlier or a few years later than age 13. A study conducted by the researchers at the Oxford University suggests that starting the menstrual cycle before or after the average age may be associated with stroke or heart diseases in women later in life.
For the study, Canoy's team collected data on 1.2 million women who were between 50 and 64 years old when the study started. Of those participating, 4 percent reported they had their first period at age 10 or earlier and 1 percent reported having their first period at age 17 or later.
The average follow-up time was almost 12 years. During that time, the researchers found that women who had their first period at 13 had the lowest risk of developing heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure. The study observed that the women who varied from menarche at age 13 were at elevated risk of stroke and heart disease, as well as complications arising from high blood pressure.
The researchers found that females who started their menstrual cycle earlier than the average age were at 27 percent higher risk of dying or being hospitalized due to a heart disease. Similarly, women who experienced their first menstrual cycle at 17 years or later were 23 percent more likely to be hospitalized or die as a result of a heart disease.
The researchers also revealed that complications arising from high blood pressure and the risk of stroke were also linked to early or late menarche.
"We now understand that the timing of the first menstrual cycle could have a long-term influence on women's vascular health," says Dr. Dexter Canoy, a cardiovascular epidemiologist in the Cancer Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford, who is also the study author.
The study pointed out that even though the research found a link concerning the time of menarche in women and risk of heart disease, it did not find any evidence of the timing of the first menstrual cycle and delayed timing for heart diseases, complications from high blood pressure and stroke.
Canoy highlighted that not many women suffer from late or early menarche. However, obesity and overweight rate in children is on the increase and these conditions may result in early start of menstrual cycle. Canoy suggests that women who were obese as kids may also be at a higher risk of stroke or heart disease in the future.
Canoy advises that middle-aged women should focus more on treatment or prevention of the associated factors of heart diseases such as high cholesterol, smoking and more. He also recommends that extra weight gain during childhood should be prevented to avoid medical conditions in later part of the life.
The study has been published in the journal Circulation.
