Longer Reproductive Lifespan Tied to Lower Bronchiectasis Risk in Postmenopausal Women

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 16, 2026 (HealthDay News) — A longer reproductive lifespan is associated with a lower risk for bronchiectasis in postmenopausal women, according to a study published in the July issue of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases.

Alexander I. Geyer, M.D., from the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra University/Northwell Health in Hempstead, New York, and colleagues examined whether a shorter reproductive lifespan is associated with a higher risk for bronchiectasis. The analysis included data from 96,996 postmenopausal women participating in the Women”s Health Initiative study.

The researchers found that the cumulative incidence of bronchiectasis was 2.7 percent. There was an association between shorter reproductive lifespan and higher bronchiectasis risk. Women with the longest reproductive lifespan (≥40 years) had a lower risk compared with women with the shortest reproductive lifespan (<30 years; adjusted approximate hazard ratio [aHR], 0.88). This relationship was modified by hormone therapy (HT), with a shorter reproductive lifespan associated with bronchiectasis risk only in the absence of HT. Women with reproductive lifespans ≥40 years, without HT, had a lower risk for bronchiectasis compared with those with reproductive lifespans <30 years (aHR, 0.78). Use of HT was associated with a 19 percent greater risk for bronchiectasis.

“Our findings suggest that reproductive health and hormonal factors may play an important role in bronchiectasis risk in older women,” Geyer said in a statement. “More research is needed to understand how reproductive hormones may influence airway health and whether hormone therapy could affect the risk of bronchiectasis in postmenopausal women.”

One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text