Women’s Health

Early menstruation linked to heart disease risk

Researchers at the Oxford University in Britain have discovered that the age of 13 is the optimum age for monthly periods to begin and women who start their cycles at age ten or younger, or 17 or older appear to be more likely to have a heart condition or stroke.

According to scientists, women who begin their menstrual cycles early or late appear to be at greater risk of developing cardiovascular problems.

Researchers at the Oxford University in Britain have discovered that the age of 13 is the optimum age for monthly periods to begin and women who start their cycles at age ten or younger, or 17 or older appear to be more likely to have a heart condition or stroke.

The scientists gathered data from about 1.3 million women who were mostly white and between the ages 50 to 64 and noticed a pattern among those who had started their periods at age ten or younger, or 17 or older.

The women were studied for more than 10 years and the two specified groups had a 27 percent increased risk of hospitalizations or death due to heart disease.

Dexter Canoy, the lead author of the study and cardiovascular epidemiologist at the University of Oxford's Cancer Epidemiology Unit stated that there is a strong correlation between the age of menarche, when a woman's first period occurs, and heart disease and stroke risk.