A new research published in JAMA Cardiology has revealed that women who go through natural menopause before the age of 40 may have a substantially greater lifetime risk of developing coronary heart disease, according to new research published in JAMA Cardiology.

The study found that women who experienced premature natural menopause faced roughly a 40 per cent higher lifetime risk of coronary heart disease compared with those who reached menopause at the typical age.

Researchers examined data from more than 10,000 postmenopausal women between the ages of 55 and 69 who participated in six long-term U.S. studies carried out from 1964 to 2018. All participants had undergone natural menopause rather than surgical menopause, and none had coronary heart disease when the studies began.

During the follow-up period, the research team documented more than 1,000 coronary heart disease cases, including heart attacks and deaths caused by heart disease.

Even after accounting for established cardiovascular risk factors, including smoking, obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes, the association remained significant. The analysis showed that premature menopause increased the lifetime risk of coronary heart disease by 41 per cent among Black women and 39 per cent among White women.

Lead author Dr. Priya Freaney, a cardiologist at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said the findings highlight the broader health implications of menopause timing.

“Menopause timing isn’t just a reproductive issue,it’s also a heart health issue,” she said.

The findings suggest that the age at which natural menopause occurs could play an important role in assessing a woman’s long-term cardiovascular risk alongside other well-established health factors.