How menstruating before 10, reaching menopause earlier than 45 cause stroke

Women who start their period before 10 years old, or enter the menopause younger than 45, have an increased risk of suffering a stroke, new research suggests.

Menstruating before the age of 13 is often caused by obesity, which also puts individuals at a higher risk of cardiovascular events, such as stroke, a study review found.

The menopause is associated with a decline in heart-protective hormones, such as oestrogen, which prevents fats from circulating in the bloodstream and raising women’s stroke risk, the research adds.

Experiencing hot flushes prematurely could mean women lack these protective hormones for longer than the average female, raising their risk of a blood clot in the brain.

Fluctuating hormones during the menopause also increase so-called ‘bad cholesterol’ levels, further boosting such women’s risk, the research adds.

Their findings were published in the journal Stroke.

Study author, Dr. Kathryn Rexrode, from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said: “These women should be monitored carefully and they should be aware that they are at higher risk, and motivated to adhere to the healthiest lifestyle behaviors to decrease the risk of hypertension and subsequent stroke.”

Women can cut their risk of an early menopause by eating oily fish and eggs, research suggested in May 2017.

A high vitamin D intake via food and supplements lowers the risk by 17 percent, a study found.

Vitamin D is thought to slow the ageing of women’s ovaries.

Calcium-rich foods make women 13 percent less likely to suffer, the research adds.