(HealthDay News) — Early menopause may be associated with an increased risk of brain aneurysm, new research suggests.
The study by researchers from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago included 76 postmenopausal women who had a brain aneurysm, or an abnormal bulging of an artery in the brain. Aneurysms are serious. If the bulge leaks or ruptures, it can lead to stroke or death.
About 26 percent of the women who had an aneurysm experienced menopause by age 40, compared with about 19 percent in a comparison group of women who didn’t have an aneurysm.
Every four-year increase in the age at which a woman went through menopause was associated with a 21 percent decreased risk of aneurysm.
The study was published online June 11 in the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery.
