The age of first menstruation, menopause, number of children, miscarriages and stillbirths are associated with an increased risk of suffering from this chronic respiratory disease.
- During the 11-year follow-up, 10,737 women participating in the study (3.8%) developed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at the age of 63.
- Miscarriages, first menstruation before age 11, having three or more children, infertility, stillbirth and early menopause increased the risk of suffering from this chronic respiratory disease.
- Due to its various effects on the lungs, estrogen, which is secreted by the ovary, is likely to play a key role in the risk of COPD in female patients.
Recent data indicate gender differences in susceptibility to and severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Women appear to suffer from a severe form of this condition at a younger age than men. Problem: There is little research on the potential influence of female hormones on the risk of COPD due to methodological flaws.
To fill the gaps, researchers from the University of Queensland (Australia) reviewed 27 observational studies, bringing together individual data from more than 850,000 women in 12 countries. The team included three groups of women, or 283,070 patients in total, with information on reproductive factors in their study published in the journal Thorax. It also took into account their year of birth, ethnicity, education level, body mass index, duration of smoking and asthma. COPD was identified through self-report and medical records, which included prescriptions, hospital admissions, emergency department visits, and death registry data.
COPD: 17% increased risk for women who had their first period before age 11
During the 11-year follow-up, 10,737 participants (3.8%) developed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at an average age of 63 years. Volunteers with this chronic respiratory disease were more likely to be older when they enrolled in the study, to be obese, to have smoked for at least 10 years and to have asthma. Several reproductive factors have been associated with COPD risk, including age at menarche, number of children, history of infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth, and early menopause.
In detail, women who started having their periods before or at the age of 11 were 17% more likely to develop COPD. Compared to patients with two children, those with more than three were associated with a 34% higher risk, while women with only one child were at an 18% higher risk. Infertile participants also had a 13% higher risk of COPD than fertile women. The risk also increased with the number of miscarriages: 28% for two miscarriages and 36% for three or more miscarriages.
The role of estrogen in COPD risk
According to the authors, estrogen, the female hormone secreted by the ovary, may play a key role in the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in women, due to its various effects on the lungs. “The overall effect of estrogen could vary depending on the timing. At the beginning or middle of the reproductive period, prolonged or greater exposure to estrogen would be detrimental to the lungs, leading to a higher risk of COPD in women having early periods or having had several children”explained the scientists.
