Infertility tied to poorer cardiovascular health in women

A history of female infertility may serve as a marker for cardiovascular health (CVH) later in life, according to a study published online Jan. 5 in JAMA Network Open.

Amy R. Nichols, Ph.D., R.D., from Harvard University in Boston, and colleagues evaluated the association between infertility history with CVH at midlife (approximately age 50 years) among parous individuals. The analysis included 468 participants followed for approximately 18 years.

The researchers found that at midlife, the estimated overall American Heart Association Life's Essential 8 score, a construct for ranking CVH in behavioral and biomedical domains, was 2.94 points lower, the biomedical score was 4.07 points lower, and the blood subdomain score was 5.98 points lower among those with versus without a history of infertility. There was also a trend toward a lower point estimate for the behavioral domain score (β = −1.81).

"This cohort study of parous individuals found evidence for an association between a history of infertility and lower overall and biomedical CVH scores," the authors write. "Our results provide additional weight to evidence suggesting inclusion of infertility history in assessing risk among female patients and demonstrate the importance of early identification and invocation of ongoing cardiovascular preventive strategies."