Irregular and Long Menstrual Cycles Tied to Greater Risk of Early Death

People with unusually long or irregular menstrual cycles may have a higher risk of dying young, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the journal The BMJ. These associations were stronger for cardiovascular disease deaths and when long and irregular cycles were consistently present during puberty and throughout adulthood.

The results highlight the need to consider the menstrual cycle as an essential sign of women's general health throughout their reproductive lifespan, reports researchers.

Irregular menstrual cycles are prevalent among women of reproductive age and have been tied to a higher risk of major chronic diseases such as ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and mental health problems. But the evidence linking long or irregular menstrual cycles with death is scarce.

So a team of researchers set out to evaluate whether irregular or long menstrual cycles throughout the life course are linked to premature death (before age 70).

They looked at data from 79,505 premenopausal women between ages 25 and 42. The study followed up the participants regularly, collecting data on their lifestyle and health, including the regularity and duration of their menstrual cycles.

After checking for other variables, they found that women who consistently experienced long or irregular or long menstrual cycles had up to 41-71 percent higher relative risk of dying early, often of cardiovascular illnesses. The risk was approximately 66 to 71 percent higher for smokers with irregular, long cycles than those with regular periods who didn't smoke.

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"Our results highlight the need for primary care providers to include menstrual cycle characteristics throughout the reproductive life span as added vital signs in assessing women's general health status," the authors wrote in the study's conclusions.

Source-Medindia