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Women who do not utilize hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or who enter menopause prematurely may have an increased risk of stroke.
A new study published in Neurology, the official journal of the American Academy of Neurology, indicated that those with a higher lifetime exposure to estrogen may have a decreased risk of stroke.
Scientists analyzed data from 122,939 Chinese postmenopausal women with an average age of 58, which included information about their lifestyle, reproductive health, estrogen levels, number of pregnancies, and usage of oral contraceptives.
Using health insurance and disease registry data, they determined that 15,139 participants suffered a stroke in the decade that followed.
Participants were placed into groups depending on their reproductive life span, which ranged from 31 to 36 years (the number of years between their first menstrual period and menopause).
After correcting for other risk factors for stroke, such as age, smoking, physical activity, and high blood pressure, the researchers discovered that people with the greatest reproductive life span had a 5% lower risk of all types of stroke.
Compared to the smallest group, 15% of the taller group had intracerebral hemorrhage, or bleeding in the brain.
By the mid-60s, people with extended reproductive lifespans and who used contraceptives or HRT had fewer strokes than those who did not. In addition, higher estrogen levels reduced the risk of stroke.
The study’s principal author, Peige Song of Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, stated that the findings could inspire new ideas for stroke prevention, such as checks for individuals with a limited lifetime exposure to estrogens.
The data indicate that patients who are at a higher risk due to early menopause should have more frequent blood pressure and cholesterol screenings, according to the researchers.
“Estrogen exposure throughout life could be a useful indicator of a person’s risk of different types of stroke after menopause,” said Song. However, additional research is required on the biological, behavioral, and social aspects that may contribute to the relationship between estrogen exposure and stroke risk throughout a woman’s life.
»Early menopause may increase stroke risk: research«