People who ovulate for more years during their lives may have a higher risk of endometrial cancer, according to a recent review published in the journal Gynecologic Oncology.
Scientists use the term ‘lifetime ovulatory years’ to refer to the total number of years a woman’s body releases eggs during her life. In simple terms, it is the time between when a girl first starts having periods and when she reaches menopause, minus times when ovulation may stop, such as during pregnancy.
Researchers already know that having more ovulations over a lifetime can increase the risk of ovarian cancer. However, there has not been much research about how lifetime ovulations affect the risk of endometrial cancer, a type of cancer that starts in the lining of the uterus. To learn more, scientists reviewed the results of 11 studies and combined them in a systematic review and meta-analysis.
The overall results suggest that women with higher lifetime ovulatory years have a higher chance of developing endometrial cancer. In fact, women with the highest lifetime ovulatory years were about twice as likely to develop this cancer compared to women with the lowest lifetime ovulatory years.
Read more about endometrial cancer risk factors
“These findings have implications for endometrial cancer risk prediction and screening programs,” the researchers said. “Additionally, this study supports the idea that interventions aimed at reducing lifetime ovulations may help protect against endometrial cancer.”
However, there are some limits to the research. Only a small number of studies were available, and they used different ways to calculate lifetime ovulatory years. Also, many studies focused on certain racial or ethnic groups. Future research should include more diverse populations and use the same methods to measure lifetime ovulatory years, the authors stated.
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