Year in Review: Top Women's Health Articles in 2020

As part of our Year in Review series, Endocrinology Network’s editorial staff has put together a curated list made up of the most viewed and clinically impactful stories from various fields in endocrinology—this article is centered around the top articles in women’s health from 2020.

Early Menstruation Linked to Increase in Hot Flashes, Night Sweats Later in Life

Data from the Life course Approach to reproductive health and Chronic disease Events (InterLACE) international collaboration suggests early menstruation could help to predict a woman’s risk of experiencing vasomotor menopausal symptoms later in life.

A pooled analysis of 6 studies, results suggest early age at menarche was a risk factor for vasomotor menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes and night sweats, later in life, but investigators noted midlife body mass index (BMI) appeared to have a major role in modifying this risk.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Linked to Increased Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

One of the most common endocrine conditions in women of reproductive age, this study suggests there could be a link between the presence of PCOS and increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

An analysis of more than 60,000 women from a Danish health registry conducted by Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit of the University of Cambridge, results found women with PCOS were at a 19% higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Additional results indicated this effect did not appear to be present among women who developed PCOS at age 50 or later.

Fezolinetant Proves Effective for Reducing Vasomotor Menopausal Symptoms in Phase 2b Trial

Results of a phase 2b trial of more than 350 women suggest a non-hormonal, oral option could provide relief of menopausal symptoms. Titled the VESTA trial, results indicate oral fezolinetant was associated with higher responder rates than placebo and greater improvements in quality of life and other patient-reported outcome measures.

Mediterranean Diet Linked to 30% Lower Diabetes Risk in Women

An analysis of data from more than 25k women in the Women’s Health Study by a team from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital suggests adherence to a Mediterranean diet could reduce the risk of diabetes in women, but not men.

Results of the study, which assessed the impact of dietary choices in this cohort of women over a 20-year period, indicate greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet was associated with a 30% lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

Daniel Spratt, MD: Estrogen, Birth Control, and COVID-19 Clotting Risk

An analysis from the Maine Medical Center and Tufts University School of Medicine dove into a potential for increased risk of COVID-19-related blood clots as a result of estrogen or birth control use in women. In this interview, the lead investigator of the study, Daniel Spratt, MD, dives deeper into the potential for increased risk of blood clotting in COVID-19 among women who were pregnant, receiving birth control pills, or receiving hormone replacement therapy were to contract the disease.