Premature Menopause Linked to Increased Risk for Hypertension

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 5, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Premature menopause is associated with a higher risk for developing hypertension, according to a study published online July 29 in Menopause.

Vicente Arrarte, M.D., Ph.D., from Miguel Hernández University of Elche in Alicante, Spain, and colleagues analyzed the association between premature (younger than 40 years) and early (40 to 45 years) menopause and the onset of hypertension. The analysis included 107,836 women with a mean follow-up of 14.5 years, identified through the U.K. Biobank.

The researchers found that 17.2 percent of participants developed hypertension, with cumulative incidence increasing with earlier menopause onset (16.6 percent in normal menopause, 18.8 percent in early menopause, and 22.6 percent in premature menopause; χ² test, P < 0.001). For women with surgical menopause, the incidence of hypertension was higher, although the association did not persist in a multivariate analysis. For premature menopause, the effect was maintained in the multivariate model, with a 12.3 percent higher risk for developing hypertension.

“The results of this study highlight the potential adverse long-term health outcomes associated with premature menopause, and in particular, the need to regularly screen for cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension,” Stephanie Faubion, M.D., medical director for The Menopause Society, said in a statement.

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