In general, women tend to develop clinically evident coronary artery disease about 10-15 years after men. This is probably due to hormones, such as estrogens, that protect women from developing heart disease.
Hormonal protection begins to vanish with menopause.
And after menopause women quickly catch up with men in the incidence of heart disease. For this reason, it is not surprising that women with irregular menses and less estrogen will likely be at risk for developing heart disease sooner than women with normal production of these hormones. Also known as Stein-Leventhal syndrome, PCOS is a leading cause of infertility in women. An article in the November 2000, Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology discusses the particular risks for women with PCOS who are age 45 or older. The study includes 125 women with PCOS and a control group of 142 women without the disease.