An observational analysis published March 18 in JAMA Cardiology found that women who undergo natural menopause before age 40 face a 40% higher lifetime risk of coronary heart disease. The study pooled data from more than 10,000 postmenopausal women across six major U.S. population-based cohorts spanning 1964–2018. This was not an RCT but a large-scale observational study; no conflicts of interest were reported in the source article. The elevated risk held independent of race. Premature menopause prevalence was markedly higher among Black women (15.5%) than white women (4.8%), resulting in greater population-level impact. Researchers and experts, including Priya Freaney, MD, and Stephanie Faubion, MD, attribute the association to early estrogen loss, which accelerates adverse changes in body composition, lipid profiles, blood pressure, and vascular function. The menopausal transition is described as a 'window of opportunity' for cardiovascular risk-factor modification including blood-pressure and cholesterol control, strength training, stress management, and symptom treatment to preserve heart-healthy behaviors. Citation: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/early-menopause-higher-risk-cardiovascular-disease