Does the menstrual cycle affect when heart attacks occur in women?
Acute Myocardial Infarction June 5, 2003 2003 JUN 5 – (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) — Although women have a low incidence of coronary artery disease during their reproductive years, the risk increases markedly 10-15 years after menopause. It has long been believed that this increased risk is in part due to the absence of female hormones, in particular, 17beta-estradiol. Blood levels of this hormone drop acutely prior to and are low during the menstrual cycle. A study published in the current issue of the American Journal of Medicine looks at the possibility that lower levels of this hormone during menses may trigger an acute coronary event in premenopausal women with risk factors of coronary artery disease. Because coronary artery disease is infrequent in premenopausal women, the effect of acute hormonal fluctuations on the timing of cardiovascular disease events is not well defined. Bettina Hamelin, PharmD, wrote, “We sought to determine whether premenopausal women would be at greater ri
