Women with higher parity, infertility or younger age at first birth face increased AF risk: Study

A recent study published in the recent issue of European Journal of Preventive Cardiology revealed that women's reproductive history (specifically parity, infertility, and age at first birth) significantly impacts their risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF) later in life. While these factors have been extensively studied in relation to cardiovascular diseases, their connection to AF has remained largely unexplored.

The study integrated data from the population-based HUNT study, the Medical Birth Registry of Norway (MBRN) and validated medical records from local hospitals to follow up with a total of 24,015 women aged 45 years or older. These women were monitored for the onset of verified incident AF over a median follow-up period of 12.8 years. The key reproductive data such as parity and age at first birth were sourced from the MBRN or self-reported questionnaires in the HUNT, while infertility history was self-reported through the HUNT questionnaire.

The research calculated hazard ratios (HR) for the multivariable-adjusted associations of parity, infertility, and age at first birth with AF risk by utilizing the Cox-proportional hazard models. The outcomes of this study found that during the follow-up period, a total of 1,448 participants (6.0%) developed AF. Also, women who had given birth to four or more children were at a 21% higher risk of developing AF when compared to the women with two births. The women with a history of infertility were also found to be at a increased risk.

Among the parous women, the women who had their first child before the age of 20 faced a 20% increased risk of AF when compared to the women who had their first child between 20 to 29 years of age. These results illuminate the importance of considering reproductive history in the context of AF risk. These findings suggest that women with four or more births, a history of infertility, or a younger age at first birth have approximately a 20% higher risk of developing AF after the age of 45. Further studies are imperative to explore the underlying mechanisms that links reproductive factors to AF. Overall, these could pave also way for better informed personalized healthcare strategies for women with a significant reproductive history.

Reference:

Morooka, H., Haug, E. B., Malmo, V., Loennechen, J. P., Mukamal, K. J., Sen, A., Janszky, I., & Horn, J. (2024). Parity, infertility, age at first birth and risk of atrial fibrillation: data from the HUNT study. In European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. Oxford University Press (OUP). https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjpc/zwae215