“Talk to your healthcare provider today to learn about your Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, Blood Sugar and BMI (Body Mass Index)”.1

Umbrella
What may the Menopause and Cardiovascular Disease Umbrella include?

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

  • Cardiovascular Conditions
  • Cardiovascular Disease/s (CVD/CVDs)
  • Cardiovascular Disorders
  • Diseases/Disorders of the Heart and Blood Vessels
  • Diseases/Disorders of the Heart and Circulatory System
  • Heart Disease/s
  • Heart and Circulatory Disease
  • Stroke

Definition

What is cardiovascular disease (CVD)?

DotS the definition of CVD may vary. The World Health Organization’s definition is:

“CVDs are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels and include coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, rheumatic heart disease and other conditions”.2

Before Menopause

Before menopause do women have a lower risk of CVD than men?

The World Heart Federation (WHF) explain:

Menopause and Cardiovascular Disease Menopause and Cardiovascular Disease“Gender: Your gender is significant: as a man you are at greater risk of heart disease than a pre-menopausal woman. But once past the menopause, a woman’s risk is similar to a man’s. Risk of stroke is similar for men and women”.3

The (Australian) Jean Hailes for Women’s Health (JH) also note:

“Before menopause, women have a lower risk of heart disease than men, but as women age and their oestrogen levels fall after menopause, their risk of cardiovascular disease increases”.4

After Menopause

After menopause can women have an increased risk of CVD?

In Health After Menopause: Cardiovascular Disease the JH elaborate on:

“Blood pressure can increase after menopause, as can total cholesterol and LDL, or ‘bad cholesterol’. There can also be a decrease in HDL, or ‘good cholesterol’. Other blood fats such as triglycerides can also increase”.5

The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) explain:

“Although many women think of heart disease as a man’s disease, the number one killer of women in North America is cardiovascular disease, that is, diseases of the heart and circulatory system. After age 55, more than half of all the deaths in women are caused by cardiovascular disease. Risk for this disease increases after menopause. Be sure to talk to your healthcare team about what your risks are and how you can reduce them”.6

Breast Cancer

Is CVD a bigger killer of women than breast cancer?

In Resources for Women the WHF note:

“Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one killer of women, with over 2 million premature deaths every year. This represents one-third of all deaths, and CVD kills more women than cancer, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and malaria combined”.7

In Women’s Hearts the Heart Foundation of Australia explain:

“Heart disease is the single biggest killer of Australian women. Women are almost three times more likely to die from heart disease than breast cancer”.8

Risk Factors

What are risk factors for CVD?

In Risk Factors: Cardiovascular Risk Factors the WHF elaborate on:

“There are many risk factors associated with coronary heart disease and stroke. Some risk factors, such as family history, cannot be modified, while other risk factors, like high blood pressure, can be modified with treatment. You will not necessarily develop cardiovascular disease if you have a risk factor. But the more risk factors you have the greater the likelihood that you will, unless you take action to modify your risk factors and work to prevent them compromising your heart health.
  • Modifiable Risk Factors…
  • Non-Modifiable Risk Factors…
  • Other Non-Modifiable Risk Factors Include…”.9
Menopause and Cardiovascular Disease

Prevention

Is CVD preventable?

Yes. In What Can I Do To Avoid A Heart Attack or Stroke? Q: What Can I Do To Avoid A Heart Attack or A Stroke? the WHO elaborate on:

“The good news, however, is that 80% of premature heart attacks and strokes are preventable. Healthy diet, regular physical activity, and not using tobacco products are the keys to prevention. Checking and controlling risk factors for heart disease and stroke such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar or diabetes is also very important”.10

In Women and CVD – Facts and Tips: How To Protect Your Heart – Protect Your Heart the WHF explain and elaborate on:

“Most of the major cardiovascular disease risks factors can be controlled. Here are a few tips on how to control those risks and protect your heart:

  • Get active…
  • Stop smoking and protect yourself from tobacco…
  • Maintain a healthy weight…
  • Know your numbers…
  • Eat healthily…
  • Know the warning signs
  • Carefully take your medication
  • Keep track of your achievements and progress…”.11

In Cardiovascular Health: Risks & Causes – What To Do Next the JH elaborate on:

“Knowing what causes cardiovascular disease is the first step. The next step is knowing how to reduce the risk of developing it. Healthy eating, weight management, physical activity and some supplements can help prevent cardiovascular disease and support your cardiovascular health”.12

In Health After Menopause: Cardiovascular Disease the JH also note:

“Lifestyle changes might not be enough for some women with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, so medication for high blood pressure and/or cholesterol may be required”.13

Physical Activity

Is there an association between physical activity and CVD?

In Risk Factors: Cardiovascular Risk Factors – Modifiable Risk Factors: Physical Inactivity and Cardiovascular Disease the WHF note:

“Physical activity protects you by regulating your weight and improving your body’s use of insulin. Being active is beneficial for your blood pressure, blood lipid levels, blood glucose levels, blood clotting factors, the health of your blood vessels and inflammation, which is powerful promoter of cardiovascular disease”.14Menopause and Cardiovascular Disease

Go Red for Women

What is the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women?

In Go Red for Women the American Heart Association (AHA) elaborate on:

“The American Heart Association’s signature women’s initiative, Go Red for Women, is a comprehensive platform designed to increase women’s heart health awareness and serve as a catalyst for change to improve the lives of women globally”.15

WISEWOMAN Program

What is the WISEWOMAN program?

Your Country may have a program similar to the (United States) WISEWOMAN Program. In WISEWOMAN Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): What Is the WISEWOMAN Program? the (United States) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) elaborate on:

“The WISEWOMAN (Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for WOMen Across the Nation) program helps women understand and reduce their risk for heart disease and stroke and provides services to help promote lasting heart-healthy lifestyles”.16

What services does the WISEWOMAN program fund?

The CDC explain:

“The WISEWOMAN program funds heart disease and stroke risk factor screenings that include blood pressure, diabetes, body mass index (BMI), and cholesterol screenings. Services are provided in local health departments, doctors’ offices, and community health centers”.17

Know Your Numbers

What numbers do women (and men) need to know?

In Know Your Numbers? They Could Just Save Your Life: Start By Knowing Your Numbers Go Red for Women elaborate on:

“Talk to your healthcare provider today to learn about your Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, Blood Sugar and BMI (Body Mass Index). Your heart depends on it”.18

Health Care Provider

What if I think I have CVD or I have a family history of CVD?

If you think you have CVD or you have a family history of CVD, it may be in your best interest to choose to talk to your health care provider about this.

On page seven in Prevention of Diseases After Menopause the authors note:

“Screening for CVD at regular intervals after menopause is extremely important. This includes measurement of blood pressure, lipids and perhaps inflammatory markers, BMI, and ascertainment of lifestyle factors such as activity level and smoking status. In addition, a family history of heart disease and stroke is important”.19

In Cardiovascular Health: Risks & Causes – What To Do Next the JH explain:

“The following list is a summary of the checks that are important for women’s cardiovascular health:

  • See your doctor for a discussion about your risks of developing cardiovascular disease including your family history and ethnic background
  • Have an annual blood pressure check
  • Have an annual blood test to measure your cholesterol
  • Test for diabetes by having your blood glucose checked
  • If you are a smoker discuss with your doctor all of the factors which affect your risk of developing cardiovascular disease
  • Discuss your weight with your doctor to determine if this is a risk factor for you”.20

Health Topics A-Z

Where may I find Health Topics related to Menopause and Cardiovascular Disease?

In Health Topics A-Z you may find:

Health Topics A-Z

Links

Where may I find Links related to Menopause and Cardiovascular Disease?

Your Country may have Links similar to:

Links

This Links List to third party websites is neither comprehensive nor exhaustive. Inclusion on this Links List does not imply endorsement or recommendation. Non-inclusion on this Links List does not imply non-endorsement or non-recommendation. Third party websites are not under the control of Meno Martha International Menopause Directory. Third party websites may contain explicit medical images and/or sexual references. Please read Meno Martha International Menopause Directory’s Links Policy before proceeding to a Link. Please contact Webmaster if you experience a problem with a Link.
  1. 6 Things Every Woman Should Know About Heart Health
  2. 9 Myths and Misunderstandings About Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT): 4. Misunderstanding – MHT Increases the Risk of Heart Disease
  3. About Heart Disease In Women
  4. About Stroke
  5. Alcohol
  6. Alcohol and Heart Health
  7. American Heart Association
  8. American Stroke Association
  9. Answers By Heart Fact Sheets: Cardiovascular Conditions
  10. Bioidentical Hormones Explained – A British Menopause Society Video
  11. Bioidentical Hormones: Are They Safer?
  12. Cardiosmart.org
  13. Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs)
  14. Cardiovascular Health: About Cardiovascular Disease
  15. Cardiovascular Health: Risks & Causes – What To Do Next?
  16. Cardiovascular Health: Symptoms of Heart Attack & Stroke In Women
  17. Complementary Medicine Options for Menopausal Symptoms
  18. Complementary and Herbal Therapies for Hot Flushes | New: January 2018
  19. Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) Explained – A British Menopause Society Video
  20. Dailydiabetes.org [[D.A.I.L.Y [Diabetes Awareness Information for Loved Ones and You]]
  21. Diabetes and Heart Disease
  22. Diabetes, Heart Disease, & Stroke
  23. Diabetessisters.org [DiabetesSisters]
  24. Different Heart Diseases
  25. Doctor Appointments: Questions To Ask Your Doctor
  26. Early Menopause: Experiences and Perspectives of Women and Health Practitioners – Women’s Profiles
  27. Facts: Cardiovascular Disease: Women’s No. 1 Health Threat
  28. Get Familiar With Signs of A Heart Attack or Stroke
  29. Goredforwomen.org [Go Red for Women, United States]
  30. Healthy Body: Top 10 Healthy Heart Tips
  31. Healthy Lifestyle
  32. Healthy Lifestyle
  33. Healthy Living
  34. Healthy Weight
  35. Heart & Stroke Encyclopaedia
  36. Heart Attack and Stroke Symptoms: Warnings Signs of Heart Attack, Stroke & Cardiac Arrest
  37. Heart Disease In African-American Women
  38. Heart Disease In Hispanic Women
  39. Heart Disease: It’s Not Just for Men – Questions To Ask Your Doctor
  40. Heart and Stroke News [American Heart Association]
  41. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Explained – A British Menopause Society Video
  42. Hormone Replacement Therapy Safe, Despite Rare Blood Clot Risks From Tablets
  43. Hormone Therapy In Postmenopausal Women: Primary Prevention of Chronic Conditions
  44. Hormone Therapy: Is It Right for You?
  45. How Cardiovascular Stroke Risks Relate
  46. How To Make Healthy Food and Healthy Lifestyle Choices Now
  47. How To Prevent Heart Disease
  48. How To Prevent Heart Disease After Menopause
  49. Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani
  50. Infographic: Exercise Is Medicine
  51. Infographic: Treat Your Heart As A House
  52. Ischemic Heart Disease: What Should Women Know?
  53. Know Your Numbers? They Could Just Save Your Life
  54. Know Your Risk
  55. KnowDiabetesbyHeart
  56. Listen To Your Heart: Learn About Heart Disease – What Are Your Risk Factors for Heart Disease?
  57. Making Mayo’s Recipes: Two Days’ Worth of Heart-Healthy Menus
  58. Making the Invisible Visible
  59. Mayo Clinic Minute: Myth-Busting Heart Health [+ Video]
  60. Mayo Clinic Q and A: Coronary Artery Disease — Prevention and Early Warning Signs
  61. Mayo Mindfulness: Tackle Stress, Anxiety and Depression To Benefit Your Heart
  62. Menopause FAQs: Your Health After Menopause
  63. Menopause Hormone Therapy: Who Shouldn’t Take It?
  64. Menopause and Heart Disease
  65. Menopause and Heart Disease
  66. Menopause and Your Heart
  67. Menopause – Is Menopausal Hormone Therapy (HRT) Safe? [Multiply Languages] [Video]
  68. Million Hearts
  69. My Life Check | Life’s Simple 7
  70. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Cardiovascular Disease
  71. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Chelation for Coronary Heart Disease
  72. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Menopause
  73. Preventing Cardiovascular Disease
  74. Protect Your Heart
  75. Recipes [American Heart Association]
  76. Risk Factors: Cardiovascular Risk Factors
  77. Smokefreewomen [United States]
  78. Staying Active
  79. Stroke
  80. Stroke
  81. Stroke
  82. Stroke Association [United Kingdom]
  83. Video Series-2019 – Cardiovascular Update: What Women Need To Know
  84. WISEWOMAN
  85. WISEWOMAN: WISEWOMAN Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
  86. Watch, Learn and Live: American Heart Association’s Interactive Cardiovascular Library</li
  87. Wear Red Today: National Wear Red Day Is Friday, February 7, 2020 [United States] National Wear Red Day
  88. What Can I Do To Avoid A Heart Attack or A Stroke?
  89. What Is A Stroke?
  90. What Is Cardiovascular Disease?
  91. What Is Meant By the Term Heart Age?
  92. What It Means To Go Red for Women [+ Video]
  93. What the Heart Has To Do With the Head
  94. Women With A Heart Condition
  95. Women and CVD – Facts and Tips: How To Protect Your Heart – Protect Your Heart
  96. Women and CVD – Facts and Tips: Know Your Numbers
  97. Women and Heart Disease [Videos]
  98. Women’s Wellness: Understand Heart Disease Symptoms and Risk Factors Unique To Women
  99. World Heart Day 29 September Menopause and Cardiovascular Disease
  100. World Stroke Day October 29th Menopause and Cardiovascular Disease

Sources

Where may I find the Sources quoted above?

You may find the Sources at:

Sources

  1. Know Your Numbers? They Could Just Save Your Life: Start By Knowing Your Numbers. Go Red for Women https://www.goredforwomen.org/en/know-your-risk/know-your-numbers Accessed: 28 January 2020
  2. Cardiovascular Diseases. World Health Organization https://www.who.int/health-topics/cardiovascular-diseases#tab=tab_1 Accessed: 28 January 2020
  3. Risk Factors: Cardiovascular Risk Factors – Other Common Non-Modifiable Risk Factors Include. 30 May 2017. World Heart Federation https://www.world-heart-federation.org/resources/risk-factors/ Accessed: 28 January 2020
  4. Health After Menopause: Cardiovascular Disease. Last Updated 13 December 2019 — Last Reviewed 17 December 2017. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause/health-after-menopause/ Accessed: 28 January 2020
  5. Health After Menopause: Cardiovascular Disease. Last Updated 18 August 2018 — Last Reviewed 17 December 2017. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause/health-after-menopause/ Accessed: 28 January 2020
  6. Menopause FAQs: Your Health After Menopause – Q. Do I have to start worrying about heart disease? North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/for-women/menopause-faqs-your-health-after-menopause Accessed: 28 January 2020
  7. Resources for Women. 22 May 2017. World Heart Federation https://www.world-heart-federation.org/resources/resources-for-women/ Accessed: 28 January 2020
  8. Women’s Hearts. Heart Foundation of Australia https://heartfoundation.org.au/campaigns/making-the-invisible-visible/women-and-heart-disease Accessed: 28 January 2020
  9. Risk Factors: Cardiovascular Risk Factors. 30 May 2017. World Heart Federation https://www.world-heart-federation.org/resources/risk-factors/ Accessed: 28 January 2020
  10. What Can I Do To Avoid A Heart Attack or A Stroke? Q: What Can I Do To Avoid A Heart Attack or A Stroke? Updated September 2015. World Health Organization https://www.who.int/features/qa/27/en/ Accessed: 28 January 2020
  11. Women and CVD – Facts and Tips: How To Protect Your Heart – Protect Your Heart. 22 May 2017. World Heart Federation https://www.world-heart-federation.org/resources/women-cvd-facts-tips/ Accessed: 28 January 2020
  12. Cardiovascular Health: Risks & Causes – What To Do Next? Last Updated 09 November 2017 — Last Reviewed 15 January 2014. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/cardiovascular-health/risks-causes/ Accessed: 28 January 2020
  13. Health After Menopause: Cardiovascular Disease. Last Updated 13 December 2019 — Last Reviewed 17 December 2017. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause/health-after-menopause/ Accessed: 28 January 2020
  14. Risk Factors: Cardiovascular Risk Factors – Modifiable Risk Factors: Physical Inactivity and Cardiovascular Disease. 30 May 2017. World Heart Federation https://www.world-heart-federation.org/resources/risk-factors/ Accessed: 28 January 2020
  15. Go Red for Women. American Heart Association https://www.goredforwomen.org Accessed: 28 January 2020
  16. WISEWOMAN Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): What Is the WISEWOMAN Program? Page Last Reviewed: 02 October 2019. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention https://www.cdc.gov/wisewoman/faqs.htm Accessed: 28 January 2020
  17. WISEWOMAN Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): What Services Does the WISEWOMAN Program Fund? Page Last Reviewed: 02 October 2019. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention https://www.cdc.gov/wisewoman/faqs.htm Accessed: 28 January 2020
  18. Know Your Numbers? They Could Just Save Your Life: Start By Knowing Your Numbers. Go Red for Women https://www.goredforwomen.org/en/know-your-risk/know-your-numbers Accessed: 28 January 2020
  19. Lobo, R. A., Davis, S. R., De Villiers, T. J., Gompel, A., Henderson, V. W., Hodis, H. N., Lumsden, M. A., Mack, W. J., Shapiro, S. and Baber, R. J. Prevention of Diseases After Menopause: Cardiovascular Diseases. 2014:7 https://www.imsociety.org/downloads/world_menopause_day_2014/white_paper/wmd_white_paper_english.pdf Accessed: 28 January 2020
  20. Cardiovascular Health: Risks & Causes – What To Do Next? Last Updated 09 November 2017 — Last Reviewed 15 January 2014. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/cardiovascular-health/risks-causes/ Accessed: 28 January 2020
Topic Last Updated: 08 February 2020 – Topic Last Reviewed: 28 January 2020
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