Women whose menstrual periods end before they reach age 40 face a sharply higher risk of coronary heart disease over their lifetimes, a new study reports, a danger more pressing for Black women because they are three times more likely than white women to enter premature menopause.
Why this reproductive transition is tied to a 40% greater risk of heart attacks isn’t understood. The study, published Wednesday in JAMA Cardiology, didn’t make a distinction between what could be causing risk and what could be a signal of risk. Nonetheless, the authors assert, it’s still clear that premature menopause should be part of the conversation about prevention.
