Perimenopause nearly doubles women’s odds of poor heart health

(Dr. Sanchari Sinha Dutta/ Medical Life Sciences News) — A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association reports that perimenopausal women had nearly 2-fold higher age-adjusted odds of having a poor overall Life’s Essential 8 score, primarily driven by poor blood glucose and lipid scores.

Perimenopause is the natural transition period preceding menopause, characterized by irregular menstrual cycle and fluctuation in reproductive hormone levels in the blood. Among reproductive hormones, estrogen plays a significant role in regulating cardiometabolic parameters, including blood pressure and lipid profile. A fluctuation and gradual decline in estrogen levels may therefore contribute to poorer cardiovascular and metabolic health.

Despite known risk factors, cardiovascular health in perimenopausal women remains an underexplored area in scientific research. To bridge this gap in the literature, researchers conducted this study to assess and compare cardiovascular health among pre-, peri-, and postmenopausal women using the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) score. (…)