Red Alert for Women: Menopause Increases Risk for Heart Disease

Night sweats. Heart Palpitations. Fatigue. Weight Gain. These are just a few of the major changes
a woman experiences during menopause. There’s also a new hidden health risk for women in their 40s and 50s entering menopause: Women face a significantly increased risk for heart disease after the onset of menopause. The heart disease risk is even higher for women who experience early menopause or
surgical menopause. What’s the connection?

Think about it. If you’re a woman in menopause experiencing night sweats, you’re probably not sleeping
well. During the day, your energy level is lower and you’re less likely to exercise. Sleep deficits and
lack of exercise alone contribute to weight gain and other health problems that pose a higher risk for
heart disease.

Menopause Brings on a Double Whammy:

• One, you’re physically not feeling your best and your eating and exercise habits change as a result.
• Additionally, the levels of two hormones, estrogen and progesterone decline. In particular, estrogen has heart protective benefits; it helps manage cholesterol levels, keeps blood vessels healthy, and helps control fat buildup in the arteries. When estrogen levels plummet during menopause, a woman loses all of those heart protective benefits.

The result: Heart disease factors increase during menopause, including increased belly fat, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol levels. The risk is also higher for menopausal women who are overweight, who have other health conditions, and there are different risk levels among different race/ethnic groups. Talking with your holistic healthcare provider is the best way to assess how elevated
your risk for heart disease is once you enter menopause.

Signs of Early-onset Menopause

Premature menopause and early menopause are conditions where a woman  goes through menopause
at an earlier age than is typically expected. Menopause isn’t a process, rather it’s a point in time where
menstruation ends.

• Early menopause is when menopause happens before age 45.
• Premature menopause is when menopause happens before age 40.

How do you know if you are starting early or premature menopause?

You may start having irregular menstrual cycles for a few years prior to your last menstrual period. Longer or shorter menstrual cycles, spotting between periods or changes in vaginal bleeding are often some of the first signs of menopause. The other signs of premature and early menopause include many of the typical menopause symptoms. You may experience:

• Hot flashes (sudden warmth that spreads over your body).
• Night sweats.
• Vaginal dryness and discomfort during sex.
• Frequent urge to pee.
• More frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs).
• Difficulty sleeping (insomnia).
• Emotional changes (irritability, mood swings, depression or anxiety).
• Dry skin, dry eyes or dry mouth.
• Breast tenderness.
• Racing heart.
• Headaches.
• Joint and muscle aches and pains.
• Changes in your sex drive (libido).
• Difficulty concentrating or being more forgetful.
• Weight gain or weight loss.
• Hair loss or thinning.

If you begin to have symptoms of menopause before age 45, your healthcare provider may perform
several tests and ask questions to help diagnose premature or early menopause.

Elevated Risk for Early & Surgical Menopause

Women who enter menopause prior to age 45 have a significantly higher risk of heart disease even if they don’t have any other risk factors, such as family history or being overweight. Women who have early-onset menopause also are at a higher risk for heart failure, not just high blood pressure or cholesterol.

Surgical menopause is a unique situation that can unexpectedly bring a woman into this major change of life. Following hysterectomy with removal of both ovaries, a woman enters surgical menopause. This is a shock to the endocrine and reproductive systems, causing a rapid cascade of changes due to the fact that key organs involved in managing estrogen levels are no longer present. The younger a women’s age when surgical menopause occurs, the more significant is her risk for developing heart disease.

Heart-Protective Self Care in Menopause

For some women, particularly those who experience early-onset or surgical menopause, hormone
replacement therapy (HRT) to replace lost estrogen may help. Many factors come into play when considering HRT; it’s an important decision that a woman needs to make in collaboration with her healthcare provider. Even if HRT is a good option for you, it is vitally important for all menopausal women to practice heart-protective self-care for the mind, body, and spirit. Visit the Heart Health center for tips for emotional wellbeing, stress management, exercise and healthy eating.