Premature menopause linked to higher lifetime risk of heart disease
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- Reviewed by Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
For women, issues related to reproduction and hormones can affect heart disease risk. Now a study published online March 18, 2026, by JAMA Cardiology has linked premature menopause - when menstrual periods end before age 40 - to a higher lifetime risk of heart problems.
The study included data on about 10,000 women participating in six long-running studies. They ranged in age from 55 to 69 at the start, and about one-third were black. All had experienced natural (not surgical) menopause.
Women who went through premature menopause had 40% more heart attacks throughout their lives than those who went through menopause at age 40 or later. Black women were about three times more likely to experience premature menopause than white women. But the increased risk of heart disease associated with premature menopause was similar among white and Black women. In the United States, the average age for menopause is 51. Perimenopause (the hormonal shifts leading up to menopause) may begin in the 30s or 40s.
The study authors noted that perimenopause offers a unique window of opportunity to "measure, monitor, and modify" cardiovascular risk in women.
Image: © izusek/Getty Images
About the Author
Julie Corliss, Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter
About the Reviewer
Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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