An association between abnormal uterine bleeding and hyperinsulinemia has been found

Insulin resistance is becoming increasingly common due to a combination of lifestyle factors, genetics, and medical conditions. Many of these risk factors also play a role in the occurrence of abnormal uterine bleeding. A new study aims to test the relationship between these two factors to better predict the incidence of abnormal uterine bleeding. The results of the study are published today in Menopause, a journal published by the Menopause Research Society.

Abnormal uterine bleeding is becoming increasingly common, with about 30% of women of reproductive age experiencing it. More than 34 billion dollars are spent on treating this problem alone, not to mention the added economic burden of increased absenteeism and an overall decrease in quality of life. Currently, much of the research in this area focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of abnormal uterine bleeding rather than prevention, including the reduction of cardiovascular risk factors as treatment.

At the same time, the prevalence of insulin resistance, in which the body’s cells do not respond normally to insulin, and the related condition of hyperinsulinemia (a condition where insulin levels in the blood are higher than normal) is on the rise due to many of the same risk factors, such as being overweight (especially belly fat), sedentary lifestyle and poor diet.

Researchers in a new study involving just over 200 premenopausal women between the ages of 18 and 54 suggested that elevated fasting insulin levels are linked to both structural and hormonal causes of abnormal uterine bleeding. The study was designed as a foundation for future larger studies examining the potential association between cardiovascular risk factors and the development of benign gynecologic disease, but it provides preliminary evidence of a significant association between hyperinsulinemia and abnormal uterine bleeding.

In the current study, participants had fasting insulin levels assessed with additional markers of metabolic syndrome, including body mass index (BMI), high-density lipoprotein levels, and waist-to-hip ratio. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between hyperinsulinemia and abnormal uterine bleeding, adjusting for factors such as age, race, and low-density lipoprotein levels, which revealed an association between hyperinsulinemia and abnormal uterine bleeding, with BMI playing a specific role in the relationship.

The results of the study are published in the article “The uterus is the final organ: a preliminary study of the association between abnormal uterine bleeding and hyperinsulinemia.”

These preliminary results emphasize the need for larger longitudinal studies to confirm this relationship, identify causal mechanisms, and evaluate the potential to address hyperinsulinemia, overweight, and obesity as part of strategies to prevent and treat abnormal uterine bleeding.