In theory, in women, the menstrual cycle lasts 28 days: the first day marks the start of menstruation, the 14th day corresponds to ovulation, and the 28th day is the day before the next period. But that’s the theory: in “real life”, a menstrual cycle generally lasts between 23 and 33 days… And, we know, it can even be shorter or longer!
However, according to a recent study by the School of Public Health in Boston (in the United States), women who have menstrual cycles of variable duration and/or menstrual cycles longer than average have a shorter life expectancy.
To reach this conclusion, American researchers followed 79,000 pre-menopausal women for 24 years.
Increased vulnerability to cardiovascular disease
They thus discovered that women who had menstrual cycles of 40 days or more between the ages of 18 and 22 and/or between 29 and 46 had an increased risk of dying before the age of 70. Ditto for women with very irregular menstrual cycles. The women concerned would be more vulnerable to cardiovascular diseases – stroke, heart attack…
How to explain this phenomenon ? If the American researchers are betting on a hormonal cause (and, in particular, on irregular or “sawtooth” hormonal fluctuations), further work will be necessary to fully understand these results.
“We recommend that women who have menstrual cycles long and/or irregular to pay particular attention to their lifestyle, in particular by adopting a balanced diet“suggest the scientists.
This work has been published in the British Medical Journal.
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