Menopause Awareness Month: How Hormonal Changes Affect Your Heart Health

Menopause brings lots of well-known changes, like hot flashes, night sweats, and moodiness. But other changes are much harder to spot, including those that can affect your cardiovascular health. What’s worse, many women are unaware of their own risk factors and how menopause can make them even more vulnerable. 

This Menopause Awareness Month, John Terzian, MD, FACC, and the team at Bridgewater Primary Care & Cardiology, LLC, are dedicating this blog post to raising awareness around the link between menopause and heart disease, so you can take important steps to protect your heart and overall wellness. Here’s what you should know.

Estrogen and your heart

Most women know their estrogen levels decline steeply as they approach and enter menopause. But what many women don’t know is that estrogen affects a lot more than sexual health and reproduction; it plays a critical role in your cardiovascular health, as well. 

Specifically, menopause is associated with changes in three areas: cholesterol, abdominal fat, and blood vessel health and function. 

1. Changes in cholesterol levels

Even if your cholesterol levels have been within a healthy range for years, the decline in estrogen during menopause can cause cholesterol levels to change. That’s because estrogen helps increase levels of HDL (“good” cholesterol), while increasing levels of LDL (“bad” cholesterol), the type that forms plaques in your arteries. In turn, plaque buildup interferes with blood flow, increasing your risk of heart attack and stroke.

Addressing unhealthy cholesterol levels with lifestyle changes and medication when needed helps reduce your risk of cardiovascular problems. Fortunately, a simple blood test is all it takes to measure cholesterol levels and monitor changes over time. 

2. Changes in blood pressure

Hypertension (high blood pressure) is another risk factor for heart disease and stroke, and like high cholesterol, it also becomes more common after menopause. In part, that’s because estrogen helps blood vessels stay flexible and responsive, and when estrogen levels decline, it can affect your blood pressure, too.

Like high cholesterol, high blood pressure typically causes no symptoms until a serious event — like a heart attack or stroke — occurs. Having regular checks during office visits is important, but depending on your risk factors, we may recommend measuring your blood pressure at home, too, using a blood pressure monitor designed for easy use.

3. Changes in body composition

Finally, many women find that as estrogen levels decrease, their waistline — and weight in general — tends to increase. Having more body fat increases the risk of insulin resistance, making it harder for your body to regulate blood sugar (glucose) levels and increasing your risk of diabetes.

At the same time, those extra pounds put added strain on your cardiovascular system. Combined, these changes can alter your cardiovascular risk profile, even when weight changes seem relatively minimal. Regular blood tests measure blood sugar levels as well as your cholesterol, helping our team provide targeted guidance to keep you healthy.

Protecting your heart during menopause

If you’re in or near menopause, the good news is you don’t need to overhaul your life to protect your heart health. A few simple habit changes combined with regular medical care can make a meaningful difference:

Improve your diet

Take a few steps to improve your diet, focusing on heart-healthy foods while limiting processed foods and foods high in sodium and unhealthy fats. 

Exercise more

Make movement part of your daily routine — regular exercise improves heart health, helps you manage your weight, and reduces stress, too.

Get better sleep

If you’re having sleep problems, don’t dismiss them. Lifestyle adjustments, such as setting a consistent sleep schedule and cutting off caffeine early in the day, can be surprisingly effective in improving sleep quality. In some instances, supplements or medications (like hormone replacement therapy) may help, too.

Schedule a heart evaluation

Keep up with regular checkups and schedule a heart evaluation with our team. During your visit, we assess your heart health, review your medical history, and create an action plan to help you protect your heart and your overall cardiovascular wellness.

Make heart health part of your menopause care

Menopause may be a natural transition, but that doesn't mean it’s all smooth sailing; you need to pay attention to your evolving health needs. Take the next step toward better cardiovascular health: Schedule your personal evaluation online or over the phone with the team at Bridgewater Primary Care & Cardiology in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, today.