- Menstrual issues, such as period pain, are experienced by up to 91% of women at some time in their lives.
- Another condition that can affect menstruation is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which can impact up to 20% of women, causing problems with the menstrual cycle and a range of other symptoms.
- New research has highlighted that both conditions may have health effects that are seemingly unconnected to the reproductive system.
- Two preliminary studies suggest that dysmenorrhea and PCOS could increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in some women.
For some people, menstruation is a minor inconvenience, but for others it comes with side effects and a range of health issues.
The most common effect is period pain (dysmenorrhea), which, according to a wide-ranging review, affects up to 91% of women of reproductive age. This can range from mild discomfort to severe pain that affects daily functioning in between 2% and 29% of women.
Another common reproductive health condition is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), where small fluid-filled sacs develop on the ovaries. The prevalence of this condition is less clear, as it has a broad spectrum of symptoms, but experts believe it affects between 4% and 21% of women.
Now, two preliminary studies, not yet published in peer-reviewed journals, which were presented at the
Dr. Nicole Weinberg, board-certified cardiologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, not involved in this research, commented for Medical News Today:
“We’ve always known that there are hormone changes that link our female patients with cardiovascular processes, but generally, the focus has always been in the later years, in the menopausal years, so I think looking earlier in a woman’s menstrual history is very elucidating as it relates to teasing through…
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