03/10/2025
🚨 Perimenopause & Chronic Disease: The Overlooked Crisis 🚨
A new longitudinal study confirms what I’ve seen every day in my practice—chronic health conditions don’t appear one at a time in perimenopause. Instead, they cluster together, creating a perfect storm for long-term health risks that often go undiagnosed and untreated until it’s too late.
📊 Key Findings from 3,990 Women (Ages 40-65):
✅ Multimorbidity (2+ chronic diseases) is the norm, not the exception.
77.7% had at least two chronic conditions at their first medical exam.
That number jumped to 87% over time.
✅ The most common condition pairing?
Obesity & dyslipidemia (high cholesterol & triglycerides).
✅ Central obesity (belly fat) plays a major role in worsening metabolic health.
💡 Why This Matters—And What I See in My Patients
Perimenopause isn’t just about hot flashes—it’s a critical window for disease prevention. In my practice, I see women dismissed with “it’s just aging” when, in reality, their hormonal shifts are accelerating metabolic dysfunction.
As estrogen declines, women are at increased risk for:
🔹 Cardiovascular disease
🔹 Type 2 diabetes
🔹 Hypertension (high blood pressure)
🔹 Metabolic syndrome
🔹 Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
Yet, many women never receive proper screening or intervention—until these conditions become full-blown diseases.
💊 The Solution?
This study reinforces the urgent need for proactive, personalized health strategies, including:
✔️ Hormone therapy for metabolic protection
✔️ Early cardiovascular & metabolic screenings
✔️ Lifestyle interventions tailored to perimenopause
I see this every day—perimenopause is a health crossroads, and how we manage it now determines long-term health outcomes.
📖 Reference: Luo et al., Analysis of Multimorbidity Patterns in Perimenopausal Women, Climacteric, 2025. DOI: 10.1080/13697137.2025.2470449
