Young women with irregular menstrual periods have a higher risk of developing and later dying of ovarian cancer, according to a recent study carried out by a team of scientists from the Public Health Institute’s Child Health and Development Studies in Oakland, California (USA). USA). The work shows that the lack of “period” or abnormally long cycles increase the risk of ovarian cancer.
Having fewer ovulatory cycles has always been considered a protective factor against this type of cancer, hence birth control pills, tubal ligation or even getting pregnant – methods that stop ovulation – have been treated as tools to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer.
Although ovarian cancer represents only 3% of all female cancers, it is the leading cause of death from gynecological cancer . The first symptoms usually go unnoticed and there are no clear markers to identify the groups at greatest risk (outside of genetic inheritance or age), so when it is detected, it is usually too late.
To find clearer risk factors, the experts analyzed data from more than 15,000 women enrolled in a 1959 pregnancy study with lifelong follow-up of the participants and their descendants. The mean age at the start of the study was 26 years old. Of all of them, approximately 13% had irregular menstrual periods.
Over the next 50 years , 116 women developed ovarian cancer; 84 of them died. Examining the data, women with a history of irregular periods were almost twice as likely to develop ovarian cancer and die from it at age 70 compared to women with regular periods. This figure increased with age. Thus, at 77 years of age, women with irregular periods were almost 3 times more likely to have ovarian cancer and die than other women. The risk of an irregular menstruation was comparable to having a family history of the disease.
“T his study is certainly curious, because it contradicts what we thought we knew about ovarian cancer and incessant ovulation. Also, if we validate this, it would give us one more risk assessment factor to determine high-risk individuals for whom screening is prudent, ”says Mitchell Maiman, leader of the study.
“ Research is beginning to show that the characteristics of the menstrual cycles may be more important than the quantity. This is a first step that deserves a closer look, ”clarifies Mia Gaudet of the American Cancer Society.
The study has been published in the International Journal of Cancer.
