Can menopause trigger heart disease?

Q:

I’ve been working with my doctor to help manage my menopausal symptoms, like severe hot flashes and vaginal dryness. I’m feeling so much better, but I recently read that having multiple menopausal symptoms can put you at a greater risk of cardiovascular disease. If this is true, what can I do to protect myself?.

A:

It’s true. A large study of more than 20,000 women published late last year found that those who experienced two or more moderate or severe menopausal symptoms, including moderate or severe hot flashes, night sweats, dizziness, heart racing, tremors, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, mood swings, vaginal dryness, breast tenderness, migraines and wake-ups multiple times throughout the night, had a 35% increased risk of cardiovascular disease and a 40% increased risk of stroke compared with women who had no symptoms.

But please don’t worry. Research shows that as many as 80% of all cases of heart disease can be prevented with a healthy lifestyle and by managing existing risk factors, so being aware of your increased risk is actually a good thing. Try to use this knowledge as incentive to maintain annual visits to your primary care provider. A large part of routine preventive healthcare is identifying and staying on top of other risk factors that contribute to heart disease, by checking your cholesterol and triglycerides, screening for diabetes (uncontrolled diabetes raises your risk of heart disease) and monitoring your blood pressure. There is also so much you can do at home to lower your risk. I advise my patients to eat more plant-based foods, limit alcohol to no more than one drink a day and make daily exercise a priority.