ReviewJournal of endocrinological investigation2026
Early in, early out: reproductive lifespan timing and cardiometabolic risk in women.
Review in Journal of endocrinological investigation, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThe timing of the biological reproductive span, defined by age at menarche and age at menopause which mark overall reproductive lifespan, has emerged as a clinically relevant red flag of cardio-metabolic vulnerability in women. Beyond reproductive function, these milestones reflect interconnected trajectories of ovarian, metabolic, and vascular ageing, offering a life-course framework for cardiovascular risk identification.
methodsThe present narrative review synthesized evidence from PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science through December 2025 using terms related to reproductive timing, ovarian aging, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic risk. Observational studies, meta-analyses, mechanistic investigations, and clinical guidelines were included. Evidence was critically appraised to integrate epidemiological associations with biological mechanisms and clinical implications.
resultsEarly menarche is consistently associated with insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and increased mortality. A U-shaped relationship has also been reported, with very late menarche conferring excess risk. Early menopause and primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) increase cardiovascular risk through early estrogen deprivation, endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, and accelerated vascular aging. A shortened reproductive lifespan independently predicts higher cardiovascular events and mortality. These associations reflect not only cumulative estrogen exposure but also shared genetic susceptibility, adiposity-related pathways, early-life programming, and chronic metabolic stress.
conclusionReproductive timing represents a key sex-specific dimension of cardiovascular risk. Although POI is recognized in guidelines, systematic consideration of age at menarche and reproductive lifespan may improve early detection, risk stratification, and personalized prevention across the female life course. Recognizing reproductive history as a determinant of cardiovascular ageing is essential to advancing truly sex-specific prevention.
Indexed as
Identifiers
41961372What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.