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Estrogen may prevent stroke in younger menopausal women
Rocca WA. Menopause. 2011; doi:10.1097/gme.0b013e31822a9937.
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New data suggest that estrogen may have a role in the prevention of strokes in premature or early menopausal women, challenging the conventional wisdom that estrogen is a risk factor for stroke at all ages, Mayo Clinic researchers said.
For a new study published in the journal Menopause, researchers combined results from a recent Mayo Clinic study with six other studies conducted worldwide and found that estrogen was protective for stroke before age 50 years.
“We were very surprised because these results were unexpected,” Walter Rocca, MD, epidemiologist and neurologist at Mayo Clinic, said in a press release. “The old idea that estrogen is always a problem in the brain has to be corrected.”
In the analysis, three cohort studies revealed an increased risk for all types of stroke in women who underwent bilateral oophorectomy before age 50 years vs. women who did not. Hormone therapy reduced stroke risk in one study, suggesting that estrogen deprivation may be involved in this association, the researchers said. Four other observational studies showed a link between all types of stroke with early onset of menopause or a shorter lifespan of ovarian activity. In three of seven studies, the aforementioned association was restricted to ischemic stroke, according to the study. Overall, age at menopause was more important than type of menopause (natural vs. induced).
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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