The study was published in the journal “JAMA.”
An abnormal flow of blood through the cervix may play a role in the sudden, accelerated aging process.
Younger women who experience “irregular or incomplete menstrual cycles” are older women who are dying before their bodies have had a chance to heal, a new study said.
Younger female participants who had irregular or incomplete menstrual cycles were nearly twice as likely to die prematurely as those who did not have “increased risks for premature death,” the study, published Tuesday in JAMA, said.
For all other types of female deaths – those that do not have a distinct cause – the consequences of irregular or incomplete cycles were similar to those of having a normal menstrual cycle, said study co-author Lee Cullinane, a professor of medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.
The study linked “irregular or incomplete menstrual cycles” to a higher mortality rate among young female participants – but not those of older age – in the largest study to date on the link between irregular menstrual cycles and aging.
The study was led by a team of researchers from the McMaster University Centre for Aging and Experimental Medicine. The results were based on data from 6,981 participants who were studied for an average of 18 years, spanning their middle and later ages.
The team explained that only half of the participants were female, which means some other biological factor had to lead to higher death rates among those who reported irregular or incomplete periods than those who reported regular and consistent menstrual cycles.
Among the young female participants, irregular or incomplete periods were tied to increased risks of premature death from causes like heart disease, stroke, stroke, lung disease, asthma, high blood pressure, and cancer, the researchers said.
The findings also suggest that irregular or incomplete cycles may be a more “universal setting for increased mortality risk” for younger female participants.
