When you get your period could predict your risk of heart disease

A new University of Oxford study says women may be able to predict their risk of developing conditions like heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure. How? Just think back to how old you were when you first got your period.

Women who reach menarche before age 10 or after age 17 may be at a higher risk, according to the study.

Higher risk at the lower end of the range was expected, since menarche typically occurs earlier in obese children. But lead author Dexter Canoy was surprised that later-onset menarche carries a similar risk. The 11-year study tracking U.K. women ages 50 to 64 is large compared to others of its kind, Reuters reports.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

But don't put too much weight on the study just yet. Researchers still need to replicate the findings with women of different ethnicities and nationalities.