Menopause and heart disease

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Treatment and the ROle of Estrogen

How do doctors treat this increased risk?
Post-menopausal women should be screened and do what they can to reduce their risk of heart disease through lifestyle changes or medication.

“As you move through the menopause transition, all those unhealthy habits become even more unhealthy,” McNeil says. It becomes critical to follow preventive steps to maintain heart health, such as:

• Exercise regularly. (Get 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise five to six days a week.)
• Eat a healthy diet. (Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Choose whole grains, low-fat dairy products, and vegetable sources of protein. Limit saturated and trans fats.)
• Stop smoking.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Control your blood pressure.
• Keep cholesterol in check.

It’s important to ask your doctor for advice on handling changes in your heart’s condition because of age and about symptoms related to menopause.  “It is not a time to be frightened of your heart risk, but it is a time to reassess it, because it might change,” Hayes says.

What is the protective role of estrogen?
The hormone estrogen is helpful in maintaining a healthy cholesterol level. It also has antioxidant effects, may help circulation, and provides other benefits.

The role of estrogen supplements, however, is unclear and controversial. It was once thought that estrogen-only hormone replacement therapy helped protect women against heart disease. But in 2004, the Women’s Health Initiative, a large heart-disease prevention study, called that belief into question, McNeil says.

The bottom line: Talk with your physician about your cardiovascular risk when making decisions about hormone therapy and other post-menopausal treatment.