Advanced study is shedding light on potential early life variables, including as poverty and physical or mental abuse, that may influence egg loss and raise the risk of cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women.
Traditionally, cardiovascular illness in women has been linked to ovarian function decline as women enter their non-reproductive years.
It is more common in women who have had both ovaries surgically removed to prevent other medical hazards such as ovarian cancer, or in women who have had an accelerated decrease of ovarian reserve and early onset menopause.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women worldwide, mostly through strokes and heart attacks, and it is also a major source of morbidity and mortality in men.
A major medical conference in South Australia today heard that the risk of cardiovascular disease is growing in women, as is the age of onset, but it is falling in men.
Professor Marcelle Cedars of the University of California San Francisco’s Division of Reproductive Endocrinology will be the keynote speaker at the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction (ASPIRE) 2023 Congress in Adelaide.
Women have varying ovarian reserves, which she defines as the amount and quality of leftover eggs during reproductive years.
those who have menopause in their forties are at a substantially higher risk of having heart disease later in life than those who have natural menopause in their fifties and later.
According to Professor Cedars, estrogen shortage during and after menopause is related to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease due to metabolic alterations such as fat redistribution, lipid abnormalities, and elevated blood pressure.
“These risks are somewhat reduced with estrogen replacement, but we believe that some common underlying mechanisms lead to both lower ovarian reserve and increased cardiovascular disease risk.”
Professor Cedars, who is also the Immediate Past President of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, stated that women have distinct sex-specific risk factors for the illness, which can manifest itself early in childhood and reproductive life
There are key times of susceptibility for illness development, most notably in the womb, but also in early childhood and adolescence when an individual is especially vulnerable to inherent and extrinsic causes. Extrinsic influences might include poor social settings, neglect, or physical or mental abuse.”
Marcelle Cedars, Director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco
According to Professor Cedars, early life signs of sensitivity necessitate additional investigation since they may give a window into future cardiovascular health and cellular aging processes.
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“We’re looking into mechanisms like oxidative stress, telomere shortening, and mitochondrial dysfunction as indicators of cellular age,” she said. “This dysfunction of mitochondria, the powerhouses of cells, may contribute to ovarian function loss and contribute to cardiovascular risk.”
“Similarly, there may be underlying mechanisms to prolong reproductive function and provide protection from cardiovascular risk.”
According to Professor Cedars, the fact that cardiovascular disease in women is growing while it is decreasing in males shows that female-specific reasons for aging and increased risk should be investigated.
“Looking at the ovary may identify an organ that is more sensitive to the aging process, allowing for early prediction of cardiovascular risk and supporting earlier intervention,” she explained. “The ovary ages differently than other organs. What causes such an important organ’s death, and how does it affect fertility and health?
“Healthy lifestyles, including a good diet and exercise, are critical in the possibility of early intervention for cardiovascular disease, but if we could clearly identify early signs of aging and cardiovascular risk, we may be able to develop drugs to directly combat disease onset.
“Identification of women at risk and in need of early intervention is critical to living healthy lives.”