After following more than 107,000 postmenopausal women for nearly 15 years, a new study published in a new study published in Menopause found that reaching menopause before 40 raises your risk of developing high blood pressure later in life. And the earlier it happens, the higher that risk climbs.
The results point to menopause timing as an independent cardiovascular risk factor, one that persists even after accounting for dozens of other health variables.
About the study
The data came from the UK Biobank, a large population-based cohort that enrolled participants between 2006 and 2010 and tracked them through the end of 2023. Researchers focused specifically on postmenopausal women in that database, landing on a final sample of 107,836 women.
The central question of the study: does the age at which a woman reaches menopause independently predict her risk of developing high blood pressure? To find out, the team built a model that controlled for 50 variables, covering lifestyle behaviors, body composition, metabolic markers, family history, and female-specific factors like hormone therapy use.
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