Jennifer Robinson

6th
Possible Link Between Early Menstruation and Stroke

Published: February 9, 2017

The main focus of this article discusses the link between early menstruation and strokes in
women. Menstruation occurs in the child-bearing ages of the female. During menstruation, an
egg is dropped to be fertilized, and when that egg is not fertilized, the uterus sheds its lining
along with the egg-resluting in a period. According to a group of journalists in
neuroepidemiology, women who begun menstruating at the age of thirteen (or earlier), are 1.8
times more likely than someone who started their period at fifteen. Likewise, a lady who begins
menopause at 45 years or younger, are more likely to have a cerebral infarction than someone
who starts menopause at 50 years. To conduct this information, a team of scientists from Japan
collected data from 1,412 postmenopausal women in Ohasama, Japan over 22 years. While the
menstrual cycle may have an impact on a womans likelihood to have a stroke, important factors
such as height, weight, and lifestyle choices also come into play.
For my mentorship this semester, I am shadowing a nurse practitioner at a womens clinic. At
my mentorship, we see things such as hysterectomy procedures, birth control consults, IUD
insertions, cesarean sections, well womens check-ups, breast exams, pregnancy confimations,
and circumcisions (to name a few). We also see women struggling with menopause and all the
negative side effects that brings. When a patient ages, things such as strokes and blood pressure
become something to take account of in a well womens visit. Recently, when I was shadowing
my mentor, a woman came in who had just started menopause and was having a hard time
coping with the changes her body was facing. Due to her abnormal blood pressure, and
considering the serious complications that could become of it, my mentor was unable to renew a
prescription that had helped her in the past. Although unrelated to menopause, a young mom who
was in her twenties came in who had a blood pressure far off the charts for her age and size. She
was advised to see a cardiologist and warned that if something doesnt change, she could end up
in the hospital. Knowing what I know now, there could have been a link between when she
started her period and her blood pressure.
Reading this article was very helpful to me. It made a difference because this information
directly impacts myself and all the women in my life. Knowing how your body works and whats
going on with it is so important (especially as a female) but is skipped over by many to the point
where they could have three kids and not have a clue what ovulation means. Being informed on
basic material such as the menstrual cycle should be an easy topic to talk about for women and
most of the time its not. After reading this article, I feel better about my knowledge on the
subject and believe that women should be informed about their health and wellness, and how that
could affect their future. This article emphasized the importance of physical health to prevent
future issues, and could definitely be something I talk about in my final presentation.

MLA Citation:
 Jennifer Robinson
6th
Possible Link Between Early Menstruation and Stroke

Published: February 9, 2017

Tohoku University Research. "Possible Link between Early Menstruation and Stroke."MDLinx.
Thohoku University, n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2017