Irregular Periods, Asthma Connected

A new study has found that asthmamay be more common in womenwith irregular periods. The findingadds to the evidence suggesting thatfemale hormones play a part in thedevelopment of asthma. The studyrevealed that women with asthmamore often have irregular periods,and researchers point out that thiscan be linked to hormones ratherthan asthma medication, as irregularperiods were found in asthma suffererswho went untreated. The studyused data from 8588 women andfound that younger women (aged 25to 42) with irregular periods were58% more likely to develop asthmathan those with regular periods.

Researchers speculate that thisphenomenon may be related topolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS),which leads to irregular periods andinsulin resistance. Asthma may havecommon risk factors with PCOS,and the findings suggest that asthmacould be associated with insulinresistance as well.

Another study showed that hormonalimbalance in women isrelated to poorer lung function. Researcherspoint out that womenwith asthma tend to suffer fromasthmatic attacks around the timeof their periods.