Early menopause linked to worse outcomes after heart emergencies
During follow-up, major cardiovascular event rates were 21.1% in women with menopause before age 45 versus 13.3% in those with later menopause.
Menopause
In 728 women hospitalised with acute coronary syndrome, an observational registry analysis linked early menopause to worse later cardiovascular outcomes. Acute coronary syndrome means a sudden reduction in blood flow to the heart. Menopause preceded or coincided with the heart event in all participants; 124 had menopause before age 45. Median follow-up was 3.52 years.
A model accounting for clinical factors linked early menopause to major cardiovascular events and death. Before statistical adjustment, death rates were 8.9% with early menopause versus 4.6% with later menopause. The associations weakened in exploratory models that also included previous blood vessel disease, menopause caused by surgery and hormone therapy.
Why it matters
Menopausal history may help inform care aimed at preventing further cardiovascular problems, beyond assessing the risk of a first event. The authors supported routinely recording menopausal age.
Caveats
The observational design cannot show that early menopause caused the poorer outcomes. Menopausal-age data were valid in 857 of 1,039 records, and only 728 met the timing criteria.
The paper
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Davorka Lulić, Maja Banović, Mira Stipčević, Duška Glavaš,University Hospital Centre Zagreb · University Hospital Dubrava
Menopause · 6 Oct 2026
