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By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, June 4, 2025 — Elevated insulin levels could be causing irregular menstrual bleeding in women, a new study says.
Women with excess levels of insulin are three times more likely to suffer from abnormal uterine bleeding, researchers reported today in the journal Menopause.
That means they are more apt to bleed between periods, experienced prolonged bleeding or have extremely heavy periods.
This finding could open up a new way to help women who are suffering from abnormal bleeding, by preventing it through lifestyle changes and better blood sugar control, researchers said.
“Few studies and treatment recommendations focus on potential preventive strategies for abnormal uterine bleeding, with most management centered around standard medical and surgical treatments familiar to gynecologists,” wrote the research team led by Dr. Andrea Salcedo, an OB/GYN with the Loma Linda University School of Medicine in California.
About 30% of women in their childbearing years experience abnormal uterine bleeding, affecting their quality of life, researchers said in background notes.
At the same time, insulin resistance is increasing as a result of excess weight, lack of physical activity and poor diets, researchers said.
Insulin resistance can eventually lead to type 2 diabetes, a chronic illness that affects nearly all the body’s organs.
Which prompted the question: Couldn’t the uterus be affected by insulin resistance just as much as other organs like the heart, kidneys, eyes and brain?
“Typically, affected organs include the heart, kidneys, eyes and lungs,” researchers wrote. “However, using the same principles of end-organ damage, the uterus may also be susceptible.”
For the study, researchers tracked the health of 205 premenopausal women between 18 and 54 years of age who were treated a single outpatient gynecology clinic system between June 2019 and August 2023.
Of these women, 116 had abnormal uterine bleeding and 89 had normal menstrual cycles, researchers said.
Results found a threefold increased risk of abnormal bleeding in women whose blood samples carried high levels of insulin.
Researchers said it’s possible that the chronic inflammation caused by high insulin levels might explain this association, given that inflammation has previously been linked to abnormal bleeding.
“These preliminary findings highlight the need for larger, longitudinal studies to confirm these relationships, identify causal mechanisms and evaluate the potential of addressing hyperinsulinemia, being overweight and obesity as part of prevention and treatment strategies for abnormal uterine bleeding,” Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director for The Menopause Society, said in a news release. Faubion was not involved in the study.
SOURCES: The Menopause Society, news release, June 4, 2025; Menopause, June 4, 2025
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