Do you remember your first period? Think about it carefully because the age at which your first period appeared in your life still has an impact today. This information is the result of a study carried out by the Cancer Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford and published by the journal Circulation.
Heart and high blood pressure problems
Women who had their first period before the age of 10 or after the age of 17 are more likely to suffer from heart disease, a heart attack or problems with high blood pressure. This study was conducted in England among women aged 50 to 64 for more than 10 years. All the data were taken into account, the fact of smoking or not, the socioeconomic factors and even the weight of the respondents, to advance with certainty that it is indeed the age of the first period that has an influence.
In detail …
If your periods appeared before your 10 years or after your 17 years, the risk of discovering you a heart problem is greater by 27% than if you had them between 10 and 17 years. For too high blood pressure, the risk is greater by 20%. As for heart attacks, the risk is 16% higher.
Obesity in question?
The doctors who took part in the survey posit obesity as the origin of the problem. Being overweight would have a considerable effect on the arrival of the first period and therefore indirectly on these health problems which appear much later. The solution would therefore be to fight against childhood obesity. An already major concern in today's society, which finds in this study an additional raison d'être.
The majority of women are not concerned
Most women menstruate for the first time between the ages of 10 and 17. One in 20 women had that first monthly date before reaching her double-digit first birthday, and only one in 100 started late, after age 17. But if you are concerned, this information is very interesting for prevention. When we know that we are more exposed than others to developing certain health problems, we can pay more attention to them.
