• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Heart Disease Greater Risk for Women With Menstrual Problems

Posted on: Wednesday, 9 February 2005, 03:00 CST

Women with irregular menstrual periods may be at higher risk of heart disease at a young age, particularly if they are overweight, new research suggests.

The finding emerged from studies of women with polycystic ovary syndrome, one of the leading causes of infertility.

Women with PCOS _ up to 10 percent of those of reproductive age _ tend to suffer from amenorrhea (no menstrual period) or oligomenorrhea (irregular bleeding).

Research published in this month's edition of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism revealed that women with PCOS also tend to have several of the leading risk factors for cardiovascular disease: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high levels of C-reactive protein, insulin resistance and high body-mass index (an approximation of body fat).

"These findings indicate that women with PCOS may be at risk for early-onset cardiovascular disease," said Zeev Blumenfeld, a researcher at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, Israel, and senior author of one of the studies.

He said that, based on these findings, physicians should ensure that women suspected of having PCOS, even if they only have irregular periods, undergo further testing for cardiovascular risk factors.

Blumenfeld's team did blood tests on more than 200 women, half of whom were suffering from PCOS. They found that almost 40 percent of women with PCOS had "extremely high" levels of C-reactive protein, compared to less than 9 percent of women in the general population. The tests on cholesterol, triglycerides and blood-sugar levels gave similar results.

A second study, conducted by Finnish researchers, also found much higher levels of risk factors among women with PCOS. That research was conducted retrospectively on a group of more than 1,500 women whose health had been monitored for up to 31 years.

That study also confirmed earlier research showing that most women with the ovarian condition became obese and many developed diabetes, another risk factor for heart disease.

Saara Taponen, a researcher at the University of Oulu and lead author of the study, said this provides "solid evidence" that there is a link between PCOS and heart disease.

"Menstrual irregularity may be a metabolic marker for cardiovascular disease," she said.

Taponen said that means doctors need to treat PCOS not only as a fertility problem, but as a potential killer of young women, particularly those who are overweight or obese.

There is no known cause for polycystic ovary syndrome but there is a growing body of evidence that it may be linked to the body's ability to process insulin. Excess insulin production increases production of androgen, a male sex hormone.

Women with PCOS not only have problems with their menstrual period, many do not produce eggs, so they cannot become pregnant. Sufferers often have excess body hair and can suffer from severe acne, all of which is due to excess androgen.

PCOS is characterized by numerous cysts on the ovaries. The ovaries also tend to be enlarged _ up to three times the normal size. This can cause chronic pelvic pain.

There is no cure for PCOS, but there are a number of treatments. The most common is the prescription of birth-control pills, which bolster female sex hormones, regulate the menstrual period, and clear up acne. But one of the most effective treatments is weight loss.

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.shns.com.)

© 2004 Scripps Howard News Service.

All Rights Reserved.

Source: Scripps Howard

More News in this Category