Late Menopause Hidden Advantage for Women’s Health? Check How it Impacts Heart Issues

A recent study has revealed that women who experience menopause later in life have healthier blood vessels, which significantly reduces their risk of heart disease. The research highlights the connection between late-onset menopause and better vascular health, offering new insights into how aging impacts women’s heart health.

Menopause and Heart Disease

For most of their lives, women have a lower risk of heart attacks and strokes than men. However, after menopause, this risk increases and eventually surpasses that of men. The study, published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation Research, explains why women who go through menopause at age 55 or later are less likely to develop heart disease.

Researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder in the US studied 92 women to assess their vascular health. They focused on a key indicator called brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD), which measures how well the main blood vessel in the upper arm expands with increased blood flow. The findings showed that all postmenopausal women had worse arterial function compared to premenopausal women. However, those who experienced menopause later had significantly better vascular health than those with an earlier onset.

How Late Menopause Protects Heart Health

The study found that when menopause occurs, the natural decline in vascular health speeds up. However, about 10% of women who experience late menopause seem to have some protection against this effect. According to the researchers, vascular function was only 24% worse in the late-menopause group compared to premenopausal women. In contrast, those who had menopause at a normal age showed a 51% decline in vascular function.

Even five years after menopause, the late-onset group still had 44% better vascular function than the normal-onset group. The researchers believe this is linked to better-functioning mitochondria, the powerhouse of cells, which produce fewer harmful free radicals in women who go through menopause later.

Potential for Future Heart Disease Prevention

The study also found differences in blood composition between the two groups. Women with late-onset menopause had more favourable levels of 15 lipid or fat-related metabolites, which may contribute to their healthier vascular function.

“Our data suggest that women who experience menopause later naturally have some protection against vascular dysfunction and oxidative stress,” said Matthew Rossman, the study’s senior author and an assistant research professor at the University of Colorado Boulder.