Why Reproductive Health and Cardiovascular Health are Intimately Connected

Our expert Christine Delavault analyzes a review recently published in the prestigious British Medical Journal. This umbrella review highlighted the importance of taking into account a woman’s gynecological and obstetrical history to best protect her health at three key hormone stages. These are also the focus of Women’s Cardiovascular Healthcare Foundation’s mission.

The gender-specific events women experience between puberty and menopause—the age they have their first period, pregnancy and any related complications, and the age they reach menopause—are associated with their cardiovascular health. This was the observation of the authors in a recently-published article in which they evaluated the association between these events and the risk of cardiovascular disease. This includes ischemic heart disease (related to insufficient heart irrigation by coronary arteries: angina and heart attack), stroke, heart attack and peripheral arterial disease (related to insufficient irrigation of lower limbs by the arteries).
The main results show that a premature birth, preeclampsia or delivery of a stillborn baby are associated with a twofold increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease If a woman has gestational diabetes or hypertension, placental abruption or premature ovarian insufficiency (menopause arrival before the age of 40), the risk for cardiovascular disease is 1.5 to 1.9 times higher. There was a less than 1.5-fold increase in risk in cases where the first period occurs early (before the age of 12), menopause arrives early (before the age of 45), a woman has polycystic ovary syndrome or does not have a baby.
Good news: breastfeeding a baby is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease for the mother.
It is essential to identify the events in a woman’s life between puberty and menopause that contribute to higher risk as early as possible so that necessary measures can be taken to protect their cardiovascular health. Lifestyle and screening for risk factors when menopause begins are among those measures.
Women’s Cardiovascular Healthcare Foundation’s mission is to Alert, Anticipate and Act by promoting development of care pathways that integrate cardiologists, vascular specialists, gynecologists, obstetricians, general practitioners and pharmacists to protect the gynecardiological health of women at every age.
Okoth K et al Association between the reproductive health of young women and cardiovascular disease in later life: umbrella review. BMJ 2020;371:m3502 http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m3502

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