Why Heart Health is Important After Menopause

Menopause marks an era of change for women, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

As the body reduces estrogen production, having less of the hormone in your body affects many normal body processes, including how the heart and vascular systems function. For this reason, women experience an increased risk of certain heart-related conditions.

Maureen Slattery, MD, MSCP, CSC, is an OB/GYN provider at Clinton Crossings in Brighton and a certified menopause practitioner through the Menopause Society. She explains the heart risks for women who have gone through menopause, how to reduce those risks, and what can keep your heart healthy as you enter post-menopause.

How menopause affects a woman's heart

Estrogen plays a significant role in helping to protect blood vessels and influencing cholesterol and blood pressure in a good way.

Research suggests estrogen naturally keeps blood vessels elastic and helps to reduce LDL cholesterol, allowing blood to flow more freely through the body. When estrogen levels drop off in menopause, the arterial walls grow stiffer, which can elevate blood pressure and raise heart risks.

This can also increase risks of heart-related conditions such as:

• cardiovascular disease
• heart attack
• stroke
• diabetes

Heart risk factors for post-menopausal women

As women go through menopause, they commonly start to see:

• increased blood pressure
• increased LDL cholesterol
• decreased HDL cholesterol
• increased insulin resistance
• vascular changes (stiffening vessels)
• increased visceral abdominal fat deposits (more belly fat)
• sleep disturbances/poor sleep quality

“Almost every woman who has gone through menopause can attest to putting more weight in your midsection, which is strongly linked to heart disease,” Dr. Slattery said.

Considering your health early in your life is important, as well. Women who were pregnant and gave birth may face an increased risk of heart disease if they had

• preeclampsia
• gestational diabetes
• a premature birth

Even if you are healthy now, if you lived with gestational diabetes, your risk of developing post-menopausal diabetes is higher later in life.

Reducing heart risk for post-menopausal women

The best time to start focusing on your heart health is now. For women who are reading this in their 30s and 40s, now is the time to act. While women are busy with their careers and often caring for young children, they put their own healthcare aside and prioritize their families.

Schedule an annual exam: Getting your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar checked on a regular basis is an important first step for women – especially if you have a family history.

At an appointment with your primary care provider, they can use cardiovascular risk calculators through the American College of Cardiology to better understand and evaluate your individual risk.

Move your body: You can do steady cardio, go to a class, or sign up for an activity – but you don’t have to. There are so many benefits from simply walking, anywhere from 5,000-10,000 steps a day is a good goal.

Lift weights: Strength training is so important. Maintaining muscle mass into your 60s and beyond means your body stays strong enough to take care of itself later in life.

Stop smoking: Avoid using tobacco or vaping. Both smoking and vaping increase your blood pressure, raise your heart rate, and increase your risk of heart failure, according to research.

Reduce alcohol use: Limiting or eliminating alcohol use goes a long way toward improving your overall health. Alcohol can be a trigger for AFib, and research suggests anything more than 3 drinks a day can significantly affect your cardiovascular health.

Ask about HRT: Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is available for women living with menopausal symptoms. Studies show if HRT is started within 10 years of menopause or under the age of 60, it does offer cardiovascular benefits for some women.

“The menopausal transition is when some of these chronic health conditions really start to become a problem,” Dr. Slattery said. “If we treat them early or prevent them altogether, people are better off.”