The Menopause Web Reference

" FRIENDS OF THE HEART "

"I have never been a health-fanatic. Quite the opposite : I have always enjoyed life, good food, a nice glass of wine. Unfortunately, looking at the medical history of my family, I don't have good genes. With the menopause I have started to have many small problems : sudden increased heart-beat, high blood pressure, difficulty in going up stairs, as if I have a rucksack weighing 100 Kg. on my back. I've realised that I must do something. Everybody tells me what I must do for my heart, as well as taking hormones, to be well."

Sarah

ARE DISEASES OF THE HEART AND BLOOD VESSELS REALLY SO SIGNIFICANT IN WOMEN ?

It is not an argument to be taken lightly. The heart is very vulnerable, not only when it is at risk of being broken for love but also for physical causes, especially for women after the menopause
Few know this : cardiovascular diseases are the primary causes of death, even for the gentler sex not only in men
Also for us women, miocardiac arrests and strokes are the most probable risks to conclude the page of our life
There is only one "consolation". In women, coronary diseases appear approximately 10 years later than in men

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WHY DOES THE MENOPAUSE COINCIDE WITH AN INCREASE IN THE RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES ?

There are different reasons :

Above all, the lack of oestrogens provoke an increase in LDL cholesterol - "the bad cholesterol" - and a disease in the HDL cholesterol", that is the protective fraction
There tends also to be an increase in triglyceride
These increases are higher for those that have a genetic vulnerability to the factors that stimulate this type of increase - i.e. lack of oestrogen.
The reduction of oestrogen modifies other factors also (eg. nitrogen oxide) that regulate the state of tension or relaxation of the blood vessels
The more the arteries are contracted, the more the pressure increases
There is a general tendency of an increase in blood pressure after the menopause. This is more marked and rapid in women with family members suffering from hypertension

The message is one only and very practical

If you know that you have this risk in the family, you must get your blood pressure read frequently by your doctor, and above all, put into action all the preventative actions necessary.

There are :

Non-smoking
Regular physical exercise
Low alcohol intake
A diet rich in fruit/vegetables
relaxation

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