Surgical menopause is linked to higher risk of heart failure
In an analysis of 25,518 women, surgical menopause was associated with an odds ratio of 1.47 for heart failure compared with women without the procedure.
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Researchers analyzed an observational cohort of 25,518 women pooled from five long-term health studies. They tracked new cases of heart failure, a condition where the heart cannot pump blood effectively, and the age when it began. They evaluated surgical menopause, oophorectomy, which is the removal of the ovaries, and hysterectomy, the removal of the uterus.
Surgical menopause was associated with an odds ratio of 1.47 for heart failure. Oophorectomy was linked to an odds ratio of 1.41, and hysterectomy to an odds ratio of 1.45. Having both procedures was associated with 54 percent higher odds of heart failure. All three procedures were associated with an earlier age at diagnosis. Later age at ovary removal was associated with later onset. Removing one ovary compared with two showed no difference in risk, and the range of likely values included no difference.
Why it matters
Heart failure is an age-related disease, and a longer natural reproductive lifespan has been suggested to protect cardiovascular health through prolonged estrogen exposure. The findings bear on how the timing and surgical loss of ovarian hormones influence cardiovascular vulnerability as women age.
Caveats
Because this study was observational, it can show only associations and cannot prove that surgery causes heart failure. The results apply only to women, and they were presented as a conference abstract that has not yet undergone full peer review.
The paper
Not all menopause is created equal: impact of surgical menopause on heart failure risk in women
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
ESC Congress 2026 Abstract, Oct 26, 2026
Presented at ESC Congress 2026
