Heart Disease and Women’s Risk Factors

“After menopause, risk factors for heart disease increase.
These include: high blood pressure, an increase in total
cholesterol, an increase in LDL (‘bad’ cholesterol)…”.1

Umbrella

What may the Heart Disease and Women’s Risk Factors Umbrella include?

Depending on the Source (DotS) this Umbrella may include:

  • Cardiovascular Disease (CVD
  • Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
  • Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)
  • Heart Conditions
  • Heart Disease Risk Factors
  • Heart Disease/s

Heart Disease

What is heart disease?

DotS the definition of heart disease may vary. The (United States) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s definition is:

“The term “heart disease” refers to several types of heart conditions. The most common type of heart disease in the United States is coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD affects the blood flow to the heart. Decreased blood flow can cause a heart attack”.2

Risk Factors

What are heart disease risk factors?

DotS the definition of heart disease risk factors may vary. In Heart Health Living: Understand Your Risk for Heart Disease the (United States) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s (NHLBI) definition is:

“Risk factors are conditions or habits that make a person more likely to develop a disease. These risk factors may be different for each person”.3

Heart Disease Risk Factors

What are heart disease risk factors?

In Coronary Heart Disease: Causes and Risk Factors – What Raises Your Risk of Heart Disease? the NHLBI elaborate on:

  • “Age…
  • Environment and occupation…
  • Family history and genetics…
  • Lifestyle habits…
  • Other medical conditions…
  • Race or ethnicity…
  • Sex…”.4

Age

For women, when does age become a risk factor for heart disease?

In Keep Your Heart Healthy: The Basics: Overview – Am I At Risk for Heart Disease? the (United States) Healthfinder.gov note:

“Your age and family history also affect your risk for heart disease. Your risk is higher if:

  • You’re a woman over age 55
  • You’re a man over age 45
  • Your father or brother had heart disease before age 55
  • Your mother or sister had heart disease before age 65”.5

Family History

Is there an association between family history and heart disease?

Yes. In Family History the British Heart Foundation elaborate on:

“If you have a family history of a heart or circulatory disease, you might have a higher risk of developing conditions that can lead to a heart attack or stroke”.6

Diabetes

Is there an association between diabetes and heart disease?

Yes. In Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Stroke the (United States) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases explain:

“Having diabetes means you are more likely to develop heart disease. People with diabetes are also more likely to have certain risk factors, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol, that increase their chances of having a heart attack or a stroke”.7

Menopause

Heart Disease and Women’s Risk FactorsIs there an association between menopause and heart disease?

In What Is Menopause? Perimenopause, Menopause and Postmenopause – Postmenopause: Heart Health the (Australian) Jean Hailes for Women’s Health note:

“Before menopause, women have a lower risk of heart disease than men. However, as women age and their oestrogen levels fall, their risk of cardiovascular disease increases. Heart disease is one of the leading cause of death for Australian women. Heart disease also claims three times as many lives as breast cancer”.8

After Menopause

Is there an association between after menopause and heart disease risk factors?

In What Is Menopause? Perimenopause, Menopause and Postmenopause – Postmenopause: Heart Health the JH explain:

“After menopause, risk factors for heart disease increase. These include:

  • High blood pressure
  • An increase in total cholesterol
  • An increase in LDL (‘bad’ cholesterol)
  • A decrease in HDL (‘good’ cholesterol)
  • An increase in blood fats, such as triglycerides”.9

Heart Health

What can women do now for their heart health?

In What Is Menopause? Perimenopause, Menopause and Postmenopause – Postmenopause: Heart Health the JH note:

“You can reduce the risk of heart disease by having a healthy lifestyle. For example:

  • Eat a healthy and nutritious diet
  • Do regular exercise
  • Maintain a healthy weight
  • Don’t smoke
  • Limit alcohol intake”.10

Health Care Provider

What is it important for women to keep in mind about heart disease risk?

In Heart Disease: It’s Not Just for Men – You and Your Doctor: A Heart Healthy Partnership the NHLBI remind us:

“A crucial step in determining your risk is to see your doctor for a thorough checkup. Your doctor can be an important partner in helping you set and reach goals for heart health. But don’t wait for your doctor to mention heart disease or its risk factors. Many doctors don’t routinely bring up the subject with women patients”.11

Health Topics A-Z

Where may I find Health Topics A-Z related to Heart Disease and Women’s Risk Factors?

In Health Topics A-Z you may find:

Health Topics A-Z

Links

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Links

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New or Updated

  1. About Heart Disease In Women
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  8. Consumer Video and Podcast Series: 2023 Consumer Videos and Podcasts – Menopause and Heart Disease
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  10. Diabetes: Your Heart and Diabetes
  11. Doing These 8 Things May Greatly Lower Risk for Heart Disease and Stroke
  12. Early Menopause: Women’s Experiences – Resources and Information: Quick Links – 1. Question Prompt List
  13. Family History
  14. Getting Serious About Heart Health: Risk Factors for Cholesterol
  15. Goredforwomen.org [Go Red for Women, United States]
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  25. Heart Disease Risks In Women Often Rise During the Years Right Before Menopause
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  28. Heart Disease, Family Health History, and Familial Hypercholesterolemia: Family Health History and Heart Disease
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  32. Heart Disease: It’s Not Just for Men – Questions To Ask Your Doctor
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  37. Heart Health for Women [Multiply Languages]
  38. Heart Health: What Women Need To Know
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  42. Heart-To-Heart: Talking To Your Health Care Professional
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  44. Hormone Therapy: Is It Right for You?
  45. Hot Flashes: What Can I Do? [+ Video: What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Menopause?]
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  51. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) [+ Video: Is HRT Bad for You?]
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  53. Listen To Your Heart: Women and Heart Disease
  54. Mayo Clinic Minute: Are You Getting Enough Sleep for Your Best Heart Health? [+ Video Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network]
  55. Mayo Clinic Minute: Signs of Coronary Artery Disease, How To Reduce Your Risk [+ Video Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network]
  56. Mayo Clinic Minute: What Is Heart Disease? [+ Video Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network]
  57. Mayo Clinic Q&A Podcast: Don’t Miss A Beat With Preventive Heart Care [+ Video Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network]
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  61. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit: A Woman’s Empowerment Guide
  62. Menopause and Cardiovascular Risk
  63. Menopause and Heart Disease
  64. Menopause and Heart Disease
  65. Menopause and Your Heart
  66. Millionhearts.hhs.org
  67. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Cardiovascular Disease
  68. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Chelation for Coronary Heart Disease: What You Need To Know
  69. Preventing Cardiovascular Disease
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  73. Smokefreewomen [United States]
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  82. Videos & Podcasts: Videos – Interviews: Cardiovascular Disease In Women
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  84. WISEWOMAN
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  88. World Menopause Day 2023
  89. World Menopause Day 2023: Patient Information Leaflet – Cardiovascular Disease: What Women Need To Know [Multiply Languages]
  90. You Can Prevent Heart Disease. Yes, YOU!
    Heart Disease and Women’s Risk Factors
  91. Yourethecure.org

Sources

Where may I find the Sources quoted?

You may find the Sources quoted at:

Sources

  1. What Is Menopause? Perimenopause, Menopause and Postmenopause – Postmenopause: Heart Health. Last Updated: 18 January 2024 | Last Reviewed: 19 August 2022. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause/about-menopause Accessed: 22 August 2024
  2. Heart Disease: About Heart Disease – What Is Heart Disease? 15 May 2024. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/about/ Accessed: 22 August 2024
  3. Heart-Healthy Living: Understand Your Risk for Heart Disease. Last Updated: 24 March 2022. National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/heart-healthy-living/risks Accessed: 22 August 2024
  4. Coronary Heart Disease: Causes and Risk Factors – What Raises Your Risk of Heart Disease? Last Updated: 20 December 2023. National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/coronary-heart-disease/causes Accessed: 22 August 2024
  5. Keep Your Heart Healthy: The Basics: Overview – Am I At Risk for Heart Disease? Content Last Updated: 16 August 2024. Healthfinder.gov https://healthfinder.gov/HealthTopics/Category/health-conditions-and-diseases/heart-health/keep-your-heart-healthy Accessed: 22 August 2024
  6. Family History. Page Last Reviewed: December 2021. British Heart Foundation https://www.bhf.org.uk/heart-health/risk-factors/family-history Accessed: 22 August 2024
  7. Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Stroke. Last Reviewed: April 2021. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/preventing-problems/heart-disease-stroke Accessed: 22 August 2024
  8. What Is Menopause? Perimenopause, Menopause and Postmenopause – Postmenopause: Heart Health. Last Updated: 18 January 2024 | Last Reviewed: 19 August 2022. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause/about-menopause Accessed: 22 August 2024
  9. What Is Menopause? Perimenopause, Menopause and Postmenopause – Postmenopause: Heart Health. Last Updated: 18 January 2024 | Last Reviewed: 19 August 2022. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause/about-menopause Accessed: 22 August 2024
  10. What Is Menopause? Perimenopause, Menopause and Postmenopause – Postmenopause: Heart Health. Last Updated: 18 January 2024 | Last Reviewed: 19 August 2022. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause/about-menopause Accessed: 22 August 2024
  11. Heart Disease: It’s Not Just for Men – You and Your Doctor: A Heart Healthy Partnership. National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/education-and-awareness/heart-truth/heart-disease-not-just-men Accessed: 22 August 2024
Topic Last Updated: 23 November 2024 – Topic Last Reviewed: 22 August 2024

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