According to a new study, led by the U.S.-based researchers have reported that individuals with irregular and long menstrual cycles are at higher risk for early death, before the age of 70. Moreover, the risks were much higher in individuals with cardiovascular disease and long and irregular menstrual cycles were consistent during adolescence and throughout adulthood. Furthermore, the greater risk was also associated among women who smoked. Moreover, it is evident that irregular and long menstrual cycles are common among women of reproductive age and is further linked with higher risk of major chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, ovarian cancer, and mental health problems.
Researchers noted that this is an observational study and the study outcomes are based on data of 79,505 premenopausal women with an average age of 38 years without any past record of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. Moreover, in these study researchers collected information about their regularity and length of their menstrual cycles at ages 14-17 years, 18-22 years, and 29-46 years. Furthermore, researchers observed 1,975 premature deaths including 894 from cancer and 172 from cardiovascular disease over the period of 24 years of follow-up.
In addition, researchers also noted that after considering several factors such as age, lifestyle, weight, and family medical history, they observed that women with irregular menstrual cycles encountered higher mortality rates, in comparison to women with regular menstrual cycles at same range of age.
Researchers concluded that "Emphasize the need for primary care providers to include menstrual cycle characteristics throughout the reproductive life span as additional vital signs in assessing women's general health status.”
