Abstract P362: Central Arterial Stiffness Increases Within One Year-interval of the Final Menstrual Period in Midlife Women: Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) Heart

Introduction: Substantial hormonal and adverse lipid changes have been reported within one-year interval of the final menstrual period (FMP) suggesting this interval as a critical time period in midlife women. Significant structural vascular remodeling has been documented during the late peri-menopausal stage, a stage characterized by amenorrhea for at least 3 months. Whether vascular functional changes also accompany the menopause transition and occur within one-year interval of the FMP is not clear. Central arterial stiffness as measured by aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV), is a marker of vascular functional changes and a significant predictor of CVD events. Our aim was to test whether the change in aPWV differs by time elapsed since the FMP in midlife women. We hypothesized that aPWV would significantly increase within one-year of the FMP independent of aging and traditional CVD risk factors. Methods: We evaluated participants with no self-reported CVD from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Natio...