It is perfectly normal for the length of the menstrual cycle, which is usually 28 days, to lengthen as a woman approaches menopause. These changes can provide predictions of heart disease risk that can be used for prevention, according to a study from the University of Pittsburgh. Menopause is a stage of a woman’s life in which cardiovascular risk increases because the ovaries decrease their functional activity and estrogen, which has a cardioprotective effect, sharply decreases. The researchers concluded that women whose cycles lengthened two years before their last period had better cardiovascular health outcomes than those who had stable cycles until reaching menopause. Length of Menstrual Cycle Reproductive age is associated with high estrogen production. With each menstrual cycle, the ovaries release follicles, which in turn, as they mature, release estrogen until ovulation occurs. Women with frequent and short cycles have higher estrogen levels for longer than those with longer cycles. And this variation in hormone levels may explain why long, irregular cycles during the reproductive years are linked to cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, osteoporosis and other conditions. Estrogens play a key role in women’s health. They intervene in cholesterol regulation, helping to reduce bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol, thereby preventing the buildup of plaque in the arteries. They participate in bone regeneration. They are living tissues that are constantly renewed and estrogens contribute to the balance between their formation and destruction. Estrogens are also involved in fat metabolism and skin health. Study details Menopause is a multistage transition in which women experience many changes that may put them at higher risk for cardiovascular disease, says Samar El Houdari, first author of the study. The researchers analyzed data from 428 women aged 45 to 53 over a period of 10 years or until menopause. They collected menstrual cycle data during the menopausal transition and assessed cardiovascular risk after menopause by measuring arterial stiffness, or arterial thickness. They found that there were three distinct variations in menstrual cycle length during this transition period to menopause: About 62 percent of the participants had a stable cycle that did not change before menopause. 16% had an early increase in cycle length – five years before their last period. 22% had an increase in its duration: two years before the last period. Transition to Menopause Compared to women with stable cycles, those in the group who started having longer cycles two years before menopause had better measures of arterial stiffness and thickness,indicating a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. In contrast, those whose cycles lengthened 5 years before their last period had the worst artery health scores. These findings are important because they show that we cannot treat women as a single group. Every woman has differences in her menstrual cycle during the transition to menopause, and this is a marker of vascular health, the researchers explain. It is not clear why the risk of cardiovascular disease was higher in women with stable cycles compared to the group who started noticing changes two years before menopause. The authors believe that although the high level of estrogen in young women with a short cycle has a cardioprotective effect, this hormone may have less protective functions in adulthood. Sources: https://www.sabervivirtv.com/ginecologia/cambios-regla-antes-menopausia-predicen-riesgo-cardiaco_6333 https://journals.lww.com/menopausejournal/Abstract/9000/Patterns_of_menstrual_cycle_length_over_the.96884.aspx