Women who face infertility are more likely to develop heart and blood vessel diseases later in life, according to new research. The risk is especially higher for younger women and those who undergo fertility treatments.
The findings were shared at the first Joint Congress of the European Society of Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE) and the European Society of Endocrinology (ESE). Experts say these results underline the need to consider a woman’s reproductive history when assessing her long-term heart health.
Infertility affects about one in six people of reproductive age globally. Treatments such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and other assisted reproductive technologies (ART) are commonly used. While some past research suggested infertility may signal higher cardiovascular risk, the evidence has been unclear—until now.
Researchers from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens analyzed 21 high-quality studies. These involved more than 178,000 women with infertility and nearly 3.4 million women without fertility issues. They found that infertile women had:
- A 14% higher risk of heart and blood vessel conditions
- A 17% greater chance of heart disease
- A 16% increased risk of stroke
The study also found that the risk of heart disease rose by 20% among women under 40 with infertility. Women who had ART treatments faced a 4% higher risk.
Dr. Evangelia Armeni, one of the lead researchers, explained that identifying infertility as a possible early warning sign could help doctors offer better screening and prevention. “It also raises important questions about the long-term effects of fertility treatments,” she said.
To address mixed results from earlier research, the team included only high-quality studies and adjusted for differences in study design and participants’ ages.
Next, the researchers plan to follow women over time to better understand how fertility history affects heart health. “We hope to learn more about the biological reasons behind this link and identify the groups most at risk,” said Dr. Armeni. “This could guide future prevention strategies and improve care for women with infertility.”
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