In more than 4,700 women ages 45 to 64, menopause before 40 lined up with higher insulin and more cardiovascular disease

What the research found

Meeting presentation (the release does not cite a journal paper). The Menopause Society posted this on 9 October 2026. The dateline reads 20 October 2026, and the work is scheduled for the society's annual meeting in San Diego on 20-24 October 2026. Zailing Xing and colleagues used the ARIC study: more than 4,700 postmenopausal women ages 45 to 64, mean follow-up 21.4 years, 1,570 cardiovascular events. Premature menopause means menopause before age 40. Compared with menopause at or after 45, premature menopause was associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disease and of coronary heart disease, and not with stroke or heart failure. Menopause at ages 40 to 44 was not associated with those higher risks in this release. Insulin was 9.3 percent higher after premature menopause. Fasting glucose did not differ. The authors say insulin resistance may be one path between early menopause and later heart disease. Stephanie Faubion, medical director of The Menopause Society, said the reasons are not fully understood and that this is not itself a treatment test. The people followed were 45 to 64, so this row is not tagged as a current under-40 audience even though the menopause happened before 40. Educational notes. This is not medical advice.

Evidence level: Human study. A study in people, but an association isn't proof of cause.

Read the original at The Menopause Society / ARIC