Women with endometriosis may be at a higher risk of having a stroke, according to a new study.
The study authors used data from the Nurses’ Health Study II, which included female nurses who were followed for 28 years, from 1989 to 2017.
All of the participants started the study when they were between ages 25 and 42, and the majority were white. Over the span of nearly three decades, researchers recorded incidents of different conditions, including strokes.
The research included more than 5,200 women who had endometriosis and nearly 107,000 who did not have the condition. The scientists found that those who had endometriosis were 34 per cent more likely to have a stroke.
For women who had undergone a hysterectomy or oophorectomy – in which one or both of the ovaries are removed- the stroke risk was 40 per cent higher than it was for women without endometriosis.
The findings have shown that there were no significant differences when the patients had other risk factors, such as being older, going through menopause, or being overweight.
According to the Royal College of Nursing, one in 10 women of reproductive age in the UK suffer with endometriosis – a chronic condition in which uterine lining tissue grows outside of the uterus on other organs and can cause fertility issues.
“The takeaway message is that, though important, endometriosis isn’t just about symptoms such as fertility issues or debilitating pelvic pain — but also about a whole-body focus on women’s well-being,” said Stacey A. Missmer, a professor of obstetrics, gynaecology and reproductive biology at Michigan State University and co-author of the study, to Everyday Health.
