Early menopause does not cause strokes

Schederer described the fact that early menopause is not the causal cause of increased stroke risk with the help of genetic data. Therefore, the exact cause is still unclear at the moment.

Data from more than 200,000 postmenopausal women were analyzed under the leadership of the young Tyrolean scientist and the relationship between age at the onset of menopause and the risk of stroke was examined – for both types of stroke, both ischemic and ischemic, as well as for hemorrhagic strokes. Apoplexy. Since then, Schederer has published his work in the famous Journal of the American Heart Association. In total, data from two large European studies were collected and analyzed in collaboration with Utrecht University, the Netherlands.

“Women who experience early menopause have a higher risk of strokes. However, early menopause is not the cause. Apparently there is no causal relationship,” Schederer emphasized the significant difference and provided an illustrative example for the daily comparison. Eating ice cream often outdoors in the summer when the sun is shining and temperatures are warm is also associated with an increased risk of sunburn. But eating ice cream is not the “why, why” of it.

However, it has been proven once again that there is a statistical relationship between early menopause and a higher risk of stroke. The same was assumed previously. “The younger you are, the greater the risk,” says Schederer. It has been found that the risk of stroke increases by ten percent for every five years of early menopause. The expert stressed that “women who experienced menopause before the age of 40, that is, very early, had a 42 percent higher risk of stroke than those who experienced menopause between the ages of 50 and 55 years.”

It is now important to look for the real reason for the increased risk. “I think the reason will be known sooner or later,” the epidemiologist said optimistically. However, we do have “approaches” to eventually decipher this. For example, it is planned to “analyze data on different proteins” available from Great Britain. Originally it was assumed in science that estrogen was “behind it.” But studies show that this is likely not the case.

In any case, stroke prevention in women who experience early menopause is extremely important, Schederer emphasized. In these cases, it is important to reduce “other risk factors”, especially by following a healthy lifestyle.