Irregular Periods, Shorter Life Span?

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 16, 2019 -- Women whose menstrual cycles persistently vary from the 28-day norm may have an increased risk of earlier death, new research suggests.

The study found that women who had irregular periods or extra-long menstrual cycles had as much as a one-third higher risk of death during the two-decade study compared to women who usually had a normal menstrual cycle.

AHA News: Women With Heart Failure Less Likely to Get Heart Pump Device

FRIDAY, Sept. 13, 2019 (American Heart Association News) -- Women are less likely than men to receive a mechanical heart pump that is becoming the norm for people with advanced heart failure, according to new research.

The study, published Friday in the American Heart Association journal Circulation: Heart Failure, took a deeper look at long-standing differences in how women are treated for heart failure, a chronic, progressive condition in which the heart muscle is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs for blood and oxygen. Heart failure affects 6.5 million Americans, a number projected to rise to 9 million by 2030.

40-Year Study Sees Steady Rise in Pregnant Women's Blood Pressure

MONDAY, Sept. 9, 2019 -- Over the past four decades, the U.S. has seen a sharp rise in the number of pregnant women with high blood pressure, new research reveals.

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from about 151 million hospitalizations between 1970 and 2010 to determine the rates of chronic high blood pressure in pregnant women aged 15 to 49.

AHA News: Age Could Be Key to Women's Worse Quality of Life Post-Stroke

THURSDAY, Aug. 15, 2019 (American Heart Association News) -- After a stroke, women are known to have a worse health-related quality of life than men, both in the short term and long term. Now a study gives some insight into why, and what can be done to alter the aftermath.

The findings, published Thursday in the journal Stroke, suggest women have a lower post-stroke quality of life because they are older at the time of a stroke, have more severe strokes, are in worse health beforehand, and are more likely to develop depression afterward. Quality of life measures included mobility, self-care, independent living, psychological well-being and social relationships.