Premature menopause linked to higher coronary and hypertension risk

A study published in JAMA Cardiology analyzed data from more than 10,000 women followed for over 50 years and found that menopause before age 40 raises the risk of coronary heart disease by about 40% compared with menopause after age 40. The increased risk was similar in both African‑American and Caucasian participants.

A separate analysis of 107,836 post‑menopausal women from the UK Biobank, published in the journal Menopause, showed that premature menopause is associated with a 12.3% higher likelihood of developing hypertension. The risk rose steadily as age at menopause fell, peaking for women who experienced menopause between ages 25 and 35. Adjustments for more than 50 confounding factors did not eliminate the association.