The Link Between Menopause and Heart Health: Why It Matters

Perimenopause is the time frame preceding the menopause. Even if your periods have not ended, you may begin to experience menopausal symptoms during perimenopause. Usually, your estrogen levels begin to decline prior to the cessation of your periods.

Research indicates that women are less likely to have heart health issues prior to menopause, but as menopause draws near, their risk rises. The period of time between the ages of 45 and 55 when you stop getting periods and lose your ability to conceive naturally is known as menopause. Your ovaries stop generating an egg each month and produce less oestrogen, which causes your periods to stop. The majority of menopausal symptoms are primarily caused by a decrease in estrogen.

Importance of estrogen for cardiac health

The hormone estrogen has a heart-protective effect. It lowers the risk of fat accumulation in your arteries and aids in the regulation of your cholesterol levels. Moreover, it maintains the health of your blood vessels. Fat can accumulate in your arteries and cause them to constrict if the amount is not met. This raises your risk of heart attacks, strokes, and coronary heart disease.

In addition, menopause can lead to physical changes including weight gain and elevated cholesterol, which raises your risk of coronary heart disease, which includes heart attacks and strokes.  The inability of your body to regulate glucose levels might raise your chance of developing diabetes, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome, which is characterized by weight gain.

Note that if menopause begins before age 45, the risk of heart disease increases.

Menopause and Heart disease symptoms

Menopause symptoms can significantly affect your well-being and day-to-day activities. For many women, experiencing palpitations or a racing heart is a frequent symptom of menopause. Chest aches and pains are among them. Having trouble focussing or feeling more forgetful (brain fog), gaining weight.

However, your fluctuating hormone levels are probably the reason of them.

Steps to reduce the worsening of symptoms

Before, during, and after menopause, there are steps you can do to lower your risk of heart disease. The following advice can make it feel more manageable, and small adjustments can have a big impact.

1. Maintaining Healthy Weight

• During and after menopause, it becomes difficult to manage weight. As a result, you can adopt better lifestyle choices that will help maintain or lower your cholesterol and blood pressure.
• Reducing intake of sugar, salt and saturated fat during menopause can reduce your cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

2. Bone Strength

• Your bones may weaken during and after the menopause. During the menopause, increasing your calcium intake can help strengthen your bones.
• Take a vitamin D supplement to help keep your bones healthy.

Menopausal symptoms may be alleviated by reducing caffeine & tea intake.

3. Getting more exercise will help you keep a healthy weight, feel less depressed and anxious, and strengthen your heart.
4. Assistance for people who experience mood swings and trouble sleeping. Stress, anxiety, and menopausal symptoms can all be alleviated by relaxation methods like yoga and meditation.
5. Having healthy lifestyle practices, avoiding smoking & alcohol intake can go a long way to relieve nagging symptoms of menopause & to help live longer without cardiac & metabolic problems.

Dr. Sunitha Mahesh, Medical Director and Senior Consultant – Infertility and Maternal Fetal Medicine, Milann Fertility Hospital, Bengaluru