Age of First Menstrual Period Determines Heart Health in Women

The age of first time occurrence of menstruation or menarche, plays an important role in determining a woman’s heart health. Early menarche is believed to have detrimental effects on the heart of women in the age group of 25-34 years.

The age of menarche, or the first time of menstruation, plays an important role in a woman's heart health. Previous studies have shown that early menarche, occurring before 12 years of age, is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases or CVD or heart disease.

The study results are published online in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

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‘The earlier the age of first menstrual period, the higher the risk of heart diseases in women, especially among those in the age group of 25 to 34 years.’
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Ideal heart health is prevalent in 50% of the US population at ten years of age and declines to less than 10% by 50 years of age. CVD is the leading cause of death among women.

Ideal heart health lowers the risk of other conditions like cancer, cognitive impairment, and depression. For ideal heart health, factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose levels, behavioral and lifestyle factors like cigarette smoking, diet, and exercise are taken into account.

A study involving more than 20,000 women found that increase in the age at menarche is significantly associated with increase in heart health in women. The study also found major age differences in the association. The association between menarche and ideal cardiovascular health was more evident in young women, not in older women.

Early Menarche Could Indicate Risk of Stroke
Early menarche or the beginning of menses might predict the incidence of stroke rather than the mortality caused by stroke.

This suggests that age at menarche may not be a major predictor of heart health in older women.

Similarly, it was found that the protective effects of late menarche on heart health were more evident in women between the ages of 25 to 44 years, whereas the detrimental effects of early menarche were only seen in those aged 25 to 34 years.

Primary Amenorrhea - Overview and History
Amenorrhea is a menstrual disorder in women indicating absence of menses. Menstruation signals womanhood, the gift of procreation, re-creation, and regeneration.

"This study highlights a link between age at menarche and cardiovascular health, findings that were evident only in younger women and may be driven by associations with body mass index. Given that heart disease is the number one killer of women, identifying those women who experienced early menarche (aged younger than 12 years) may allow for earlier intervention to reduce cardiovascular risk," says Dr. Stephanie Faubion, NAMS medical director.

Source-Medindia

Vaginal Bleeding
Normal vaginal bleeding begins in the early teens and goes on till a woman’s mid-life. It is the bloody discharge from the uterus during menstruation.