WOMEN suffering painful periods condition endometriosis are up to three
times more likely to have a heart attack, a study says.
Britain’s two million sufferers are also in greater danger of blocked arteries
and chest pains.
The risks are highest in the under-40s, said experts, who studied 116,000
women — 12,000 with the condition.
Researcher Dr Stacey Missmer, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, US,
said: “It is important for women with endometriosis to adopt heart-healthy
lifestyle habits, be screened by their doctors for heart disease, and to be
familiar with the symptoms.”
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Endometriosis, which can lead to discomfort during sex, causes tissue which
normally lines the womb to grow in the lower abdomen.
Sufferers can opt for a hysterectomy which may trigger an early menopause. The
change in hormones which follows is thought to influence heart disease risk.
The British Heart Foundation said more research was needed
It added: “Having endometriosis can increase the possibility of having a
hysterectomy, so it is possible this may have influenced the study’s
results.”