ArticleInternational journal of cancer2016
Irregular menses predicts ovarian cancer: Prospective evidence from the Child Health and Development Studies.
Article in International journal of cancer, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 58 citations in OpenAlex.
- Association of psychosocial factors at work with fertility and menstrual disorders: A systematic review.Japan journal of nursing science : JJNS · 2025Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of the Molecular Mechanisms Involved in the Association Between PCOS and Endometrial and Ovarian Cancers.Journal of cellular and molecular medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Associations between self-reported personal care products use and menstrual cycle length and regularity in a US digital cohort.Environment international · 2026Article
- Associations between Ambient Air Pollution Exposure and Menstrual Cycle Irregularity in Premenopausal Women.Yonsei medical journal · 2026Article
- Within-individual changes in BMI and menstrual irregularity: a cohort study using real-world data.BMC women's health · 2026Article
- Article
- The Menstrual Cycle as a Vital Sign: a comprehensive review.F&S reviews · 2025Article
- A new metric to understand the association between heart rate variability and menstrual regularity.NPJ digital medicine · 2025Article
- Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and the Risk of Ovarian, Endometrial, and Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Medical journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran · 2025Review
- A Novel method for quantifying fluctuations in wearable derived daily cardiovascular parameters across the menstrual cycle.NPJ digital medicine · 2024Article
- Menstrual and reproductive factors associated with risk of breast cancer among Indian women: a cross sectional study from National Family Health Survey, 2019-21.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2024Article
- The Associations and Causal Relationships of Ovarian Cancer - Construction of a Prediction Model.International journal of women's health · 2024Article
- Menstruation and social inequities in Spain: a cross-sectional online survey-based study.International journal for equity in health · 2023Article
- Awareness of ovarian cancer symptoms and risk factors in a young ethnically diverse British population.Cancer medicine · 2023Article
- Abnormal uterine bleeding patterns determined through menstrual tracking among participants in the Apple Women's Health Study.American journal of obstetrics and gynecology · 2023Article
- Article
- Magnitude and associated factors of menstrual irregularity among young girls: A cross-sectional study during COVID-19 second wave in India.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2022Article
- Factors associated with regularity and length of menstrual cycle: Korea Nurses' Health Study.BMC women's health · 2022Article
- Race Differences in the Associations between Menstrual Cycle Characteristics and Epithelial Ovarian Cancer.Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology · 2022Article
- Self-Reported Menstrual Alterations During the COVID-19 Syndemic in Spain: A Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of women's health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
We tested the hypothesis that irregular menstruation predicts lower risk for ovarian cancer, possibly due to less frequent ovulation. We conducted a 50-year prospective study of 15,528 mothers in the Child Health and Development Studies cohort recruited from the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan from 1959 to 1966. Irregular menstruation was classified via medical record and self-report at age 26. We identified 116 cases and 84 deaths due to ovarian cancer through 2011 via linkage to the California Cancer Registry and Vital Statistics. Contrary to expectation, women with irregular menstrual cycles had a higher risk of ovarian cancer incidence and mortality over the 50-year follow-up. Associations increased with age (p <0.05). We observed a 2-fold increased incidence and mortality by age 70 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1, 3.4) rising to a 3-fold increase by age 77 (95% CI = 1.5, 6.7 for incidence; 95% CI = 1.4, 5.9 for mortality). We also found a 3-fold higher risk of mortality for high-grade serous tumors (95% CI = 1.3, 7.6) that did not vary by age. This is the first prospective study to show an association between irregular menstruation and ovarian cancer-we unexpectedly found higher risk for women with irregular cycles. These women are easy to identify and many may have polycystic ovarian syndrome. Classifying high-risk phenotypes such as irregular menstruation creates opportunities to find novel early biomarkers, refine clinical screening protocols and potentially develop new risk reduction strategies. These efforts can lead to earlier detection and better survival for ovarian cancer.
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Registered trials
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