Myocardial Infarction in Young Women Linked to Menstrual Cycle

WESTPORT, CT (Reuters Health) – During and immediately after menses, there appears to be an increased risk of acute myocardial infarction, according to a report by researchers from Laval University, St. Foy, Quebec, Canada.

Dr. Bettina A. Hamelin and colleagues studied 28 premenopausal women who had experienced myocardial infarction or unstable angina. According to Dr. Hamelin’s presentation at the meeting of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) in Los Angeles, 43% of the women had hypercholesterolemia, 42% were hypertensive and 36% were current smokers. In addition, 24% were former smokers and 7% were diabetic.

“Significantly,” Dr. Hamelin’s group reports in a meeting abstract, “more women had their acute coronary event within 5 days after onset of menstruation. Twenty women had their coronary event 3 days or less after beginning menses and eight women had it after 7 days from the start of menstruation.

The investigators believe that fluctuations of 17-beta-estradiol during the menstrual cycle may modulate the risk of coronary events.

In an ACCP statement Dr. Hamelin said, “Young women need to be counseled about their risk factors for heart disease, and older women should continue to be counseled about the benefits of estrogen replacement therapy.”