Is heavy menstrual bleeding an early predictor for future cardiovascular events?

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women. Yet women with heart disease remain understudied, under-recognised, underdiagnosed and undertreated. There is an unmet need for novel approaches to improve prediction of heart disease in reproductive aged women and to help target effective preventative therapies and optimise treatments to prevent heart disease. There is mounting evidence that experiencing abnormal menstrual bleeding is associated with the development of heart disease in women. The impact of volume and duration on risk of heart disease remains unknown.

We hypothesize that heavy menstrual bleeding is an early predictor of heart disease and strokes and may improve prediction of future events in women. Using routine care data, we will evaluate the association between heavy menstrual bleeding and development of heart disease and strokes in women. This project will inform future studies whether heavy menstrual bleeding should be evaluated for risk assessment strategies in women to reduce heart disease burden in women.