Here are the top medical news for the day:
Study Links Female Infertility to Future Cardiovascular Problems
Women who experience infertility are more likely to develop heart and blood vessel conditions later in life, with younger women and those who undergo fertility treatments at a greater risk. The findings, presented at the first Joint Congress between the European Society of Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE) and the European Society of Endocrinology (ESE), highlight the importance of considering a woman’s reproductive history when assessing her long-term heart health.
Approximately one in every six people of reproductive age worldwide is estimated to experience infertility in their lifetime. Treatment of infertility often involves in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) and other types of assisted reproductive technology (ART).
In this study, looked at 21 studies, involving 178,828 women with infertility and 3,398,781 women without fertility issues, that associated female infertility with cardiovascular disease later in life. The researchers found that women with infertility have a 14% increased risk of developing conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels, a 17% increased risk of heart disease and a 16% increased risk of a stroke when compared to women without an infertility history. In addition, the risk of cardiovascular disease increased by 20% in younger women with infertility, especially those under 40, and by 4% in women who underwent assisted reproductive technology treatments.
“This is the largest meta-analysis to not only examine the potential link between a history of infertility in women and cardiovascular risk but also the impact of assisted reproductive technologies on their likelihood of developing future cardiovascular events,” said lead researcher Dr Elena Armeni. “By gathering data from many studies, our work adds strong evidence to a growing field and suggests that infertility could be an early warning sign for future heart health issues.”
Dr Armeni added: “Recognising infertility as a potential early marker for cardiovascular disease could help doctors identify women who may need closer monitoring or preventive strategies earlier in life. It also raises important questions about the long-term effects of fertility treatments like assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments.”
Reference: https://espe-ese-congress2025.org/wp content/uploads/2025/05/press_release_Armeni-final.pdf
Fatty Liver Disease Risk 46% Higher in Women with Menopause Before 45: Study Finds
Women who experience menopause before the age of 50 — and especially before the age of 45 — are more likely to develop fatty liver disease and its related metabolic risk factors within one year after menopause, according to research presented at the first Joint Congress between the European Society of Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE) and the European Society of Endocrinology (ESE). This study is the largest to assess this association over five years and suggests that the age of natural menopause should be considered part of the cardio-metabolic risk assessment in women.
Most women experience menopause between the ages of 45 and 55 as a natural part of biological ageing. After menopause, women are at a higher risk of long-term health problems such as fatty liver disease and its related metabolic risk factors — also known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), a condition caused by a build-up of fat in the liver.
In this study, researchers examined 89,474 women and grouped them according to their age at menopause: 40–44 years, 45–49 years and those who had not yet gone through menopause by age 50. The researchers found that women who experienced menopause aged 40–44, which is classed as early, had a 46% higher risk of fatty liver disease within one year after menopause.
In addition, early menopause was associated with an 11% increased likelihood of pre-diabetes and obesity, a 14% increased risk of hypertension, and a 13% increased risk of dyslipidemia. Similarly, women aged 45–49 who entered menopause had a 30% higher risk of fatty liver disease and 16% higher risk of pre-diabetes than those women who had not entered menopause.
The study concluded women who experience menopause before the age of 45 have a higher risk of developing fatty liver disease and its metabolic risk factors, including high blood pressure and obesity. “Previous research on this association has reached conflicting results but was limited by small numbers of participants and short follow-up,” said lead author Dr Joshua Stokar.
“Our study is the largest of its kind with a five-year follow-up period and provides support for the hypothesis that women are relatively protected from cardio-metabolic disease during the perimenopausal state,” said Dr Stokar. “We believe our findings justify considering an earlier age at menopause — specifically before the age of 45 — as a risk factor for MASLD.”
Reference: https://espe-ese-congress2025.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/press_release_Stokar-final.pdf
Can Just a Few Nights of Poor Sleep Increase Your Risk of Heart Disease?
Even a few nights with insufficient sleep promote molecular mechanisms linked to a greater risk of heart problems, finds a new study in which the researchers investigated how sleep deprivation affects biomarkers (in this case proteins) associated with cardiovascular disease. The study was published in the journal Biomarker Research.
A chronic lack of sleep is a growing public health problem and in large population studies it has been linked to an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and atrial fibrillation.
The authors studied 16 healthy young men of normal weight. They all had healthy sleep habits. The participants spent time in a sleep laboratory where their meals and activity levels were strictly controlled in two sessions. In one session, participants got a normal amount of sleep for three consecutive nights, while during the other session, they got only about four hours of sleep each night. During both sessions, morning and evening blood samples were taken, and following high-intensity exercise lasting 30 minutes
The researchers measured the levels of around 90 proteins in the blood and were able to see that the levels of many of these that are associated with increased inflammation rose when the participants were sleep-deprived. Many of these proteins have already been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease such as heart failure and coronary artery disease.
A number of key proteins increased equally, whether the person was sleep-deprived or not. Thus, proteins that can be linked to the positive effects of exercise increased, even if the person had too little sleep.
"With this study, we have improved our understanding of what role the amount of sleep we get plays in cardiovascular health. It's important to point out that studies have also shown that physical exercise can offset at least some of the negative effects that poor sleep can cause. But it's also important to note that exercise cannot replace the essential functions of sleep," says Jonathan Cedernaes, physician and docent at Uppsala University, who led the study.
Reference: https://www.uu.se/en/press/press-releases/2025/2025-05-08-lack-of-sleep-can-increase-the-risk-of-cardiovascular-disease
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