Gynecological disorders appear to raise risks of cardio and cerebrovascular disease

Women with gynecological disorders such as endometriosis or heavy or irregular periods could be at  an elevated risk of heart disease and cerebrovascular disease, researchers report.

The findings were published in Heart on Feb. 24, 2025.

As background, the authors noted that common non-cancerous gynecological disorders include polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, adenomyosis, uterine fibroids, primary dysmenorrhea, chronic pelvic pain, irregular and/or very heavy periods, and abnormal uterine bleeding.

The investigators in this meta-analysis screened 6,639 studies, 59 of which were eligible for full- text review.

They included data from 28 studies which had enrolled 3,271,242 subjects.

The pooled data analyses revealed that, compared with subjects unaffected by any of these conditions, subjects affected by at least one had a significantly (28%) higher risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. Their risk of ischemic heart disease was 41% higher, and their risk of cerebrovascular disease alone was 33% higher.

The authors wrote, “We found an overall association between NMGD [Non-malignant gynecological diseases] and C/CVD [cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease] across all studies. However, estimates from individual studies varied substantially.

They added, “Although the extent of this association is still to be explored, and causality has not been established, the findings suggest that it is important to raise awareness of the potential association…. both in the general public and healthcare professionals.”