Endometriosis Increases Risk of Heart Disease in Young Women

Endometriosis Increases Risk of Heart Disease in Young Women

Women with endometriosis, a chronic, painful condition that affects the reproductive organs, have a higher risk of heart disease, according to a new study.

The study, published Tuesday in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal, found that women age 40 or younger were disproportionately at risk: they were three times as likely to develop heart attack, chest pain, or need treatment for blocked arteries, compared to women without the condition.

Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital followed 120,000 women over 20 years. Nearly 12,000 participants had endometriosis — the growth of the tissue that lines the uterus to other places in the body.

While the overall rate for heart disease was 21 cases per 100,000 women under 40, the researchers found that for every 100,000 women with endometriosis, the heart disease rate increased to 65 cases.

At least 10 percent of women of reproductive age suffer from endometriosis — or "endo" — which, according to Missmer, can have important life consequences such as infertility and inability to participate in work or daily activities due to extreme pain.