NOn all women face menopause with it same level of cardiovascular risk. Some categories must pay particular attention and adopt more intensive preventive strategies from the beginning of the menopausal transition. We talked about it with a great expert, the Professor Giuseppe Massimo Claudio Rosanospecialist in diseases of the cardiovascular system, professor of Pharmacology University of San Raffaele Roma, president of Heart Failure Association of the European Cardiology Society.
Menopause: Which women risk heart health more?
Women with first degree family members (parents, brothers) who have had heart attacks, strokes or other cardiovascular diseases before the age of 65 must be considered at high risk. There genetic predisposition, Combined with the hormonal changes of menopause, it can significantly accelerate the development of heart problems. These women should start preventive checks already around 40 years of age.
Chronic diseases that hinder cardiovascular health
Particular attention must be paid to the women who come to menopause already with diabetes, arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia or metabolic syndrome. These conditions, often silent or underestimated in previous years, can worsen quickly with the drop of estrogen. Also the overweightespecially when fat focuses on the abdomen, represents an alarm bell not to be ignored.
Early menopause, another risk factor
Women who go to menopause before 45 years of age, spontaneously or followed by surgical interventions, First forgive hormonal protection natural and therefore have increased cardiovascular risk. Even those who had one particularly symptomatic perimenopausawith severe and prolonged flashes, could present a higher risk profile.
Smoking and sedentary lifestyle even more enemies in menopause
Smokers, ex-patients and sedentary women represent high-risk categories. Some peculiarities of reproductive history also deserve attention: women who have suffered from gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, premature parts or infertility can have a cardiovascular risk increased in menopause. These events, often considered “isolated episodes”, are actually early signs of a cardiovascular predisposition.
The signals not to be underestimated
Some women may already present thin but significant symptoms: unusual tiredness during effort Which before tolerated well, atypical thoracic pains, frequent palpitations or lack of breath. Also Persistent sleep alterations or Difficulty in controlling weight They can be early signs of cardiovascular problems.
What to do in all these cases
High risk women must not be discouraged, but rather to see this awareness as an opportunity to act in advance. More frequent checks, targeted lifestyle changes and, when appropriate, early pharmacological interventions can make a difference. The key is early recognition and timely action: knowing your risk profile means being able to effectively protect your future cardiovascular health.
Cardiovascular risk is often underestimated in women: what to do to increase awareness and prevention?
The heart disease are the first cause of death and disabled in womenyet they continue to be perceived as “a male problem”. This underestimation has deep roots and often dramatic consequences.
For decades cardiovascular research has focused mainly on men also because Until the 1980s, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in women was low due to the low number of women in post-Menopause. This has created a distorted image of heart diseases as typically male pathologies. This has generated stereotypes that have consolidated over time: many women, and unfortunately also some doctors, still associate the heart attack with the image of the middle -aged man stressed by work. Women tend to minimize their symptoms, attributing them to stress, tiredness or digestive problems, losing precious time.
The symptoms of women are different from those of men
Women often have cardiovascular symptoms other than male “classic” ones. Instead of the typical oppressive thoracic pain, they can manifest extreme fatigue, nausea, back pain or behind, lack of breath. These “atypical” symptoms are frequently underestimated or attributed to other causes, delaying diagnosis and treatments that could save life.
Menopause, the moment most at risk for the heart of women
The transition menopausal represents the period of maximum cardiovascular vulnerability For women, but often attention focuses only on the most evident symptoms such as hot and mood disorders. The connection between hormonal drop and heart risk It is rarely explained clearly, losing a crucial prevention opportunity.
The strategies to be adopted immediately to protect the heart in menopause
The first strategy to increase awareness of cardiovascular risk in women is thetargeted education. Women must know that after menopause their cardiovascular risk equals the male one and that symptoms like Persistent tiredness, palpitations or reduced effort tolerance should never be ignored. It is essential to disseminate information on specifically feminine risk factors:
- Gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, early menopause, polycystic ovary syndrome.
- It is necessary to sensitize all health professionals, not only cardiologists, on the importance of women’s cardiovascular risk. Gynecologists, family doctors and internists must become sentinels active in prevention, using every opportunity to contact patients to evaluate and discuss cardiovascular risk.
- In addition, specific communication campaigns are needed that speak directly to women, using appropriate languages and channels. Routine controls should always include a cardiovascular risk assessment, especially during the menopausal transition. It is important to create dedicated prevention paths, with clinics specialized in cardiovascular medicine.
- Women must become active protagonists of their cardiovascular health: learning to measure blood pressure, know their cholesterol values, recognize alarm symptoms. Individual awareness, combined with a health system more attentive to female specificities, can finally fill this dangerous prevention and care gap.
As a doctor and researcher, what message do you think most urgent to get to women today in terms of heart and menopause?
Menopause is not only the end of menstruation: it is the beginning of a new phase of life in which The heart becomes more vulnerable. This must not scare, but must empower. Seeing 55 -year -old patients surprised to have high cholesterol or altered pressure makes me understand how much the basic awareness is still missing. The drop in estrogen is not a detail: it is a change that concerns the whole body, including heart.
It is time to take care of yourself
Over the years I have learned that women are extraordinary in taking care of others, but often neglect themselves. How many times have I heard: “Professor, I thought it was only stress” or “I thought they were the nerves”. The message I want to get is this: if you feel more tired than usual, if you struggle to climb the stairs as before, if you have palpitations or pain in the chest, even “strange”, do not wait. Your body is talking to you.
The research taught us that the Cardiovascular risk in menopause it can be predated and preventing, but you have to act in time. Women who have had diabetes in pregnancy, high blood pressure during gestation, or who went to menopause early, need specific cardiovascular controls. It is not alarmism: it is preventive medicine based on solid scientific evidence.
My concrete appeal
Every woman from 45 years old should know her numbers: blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar. He should know if he is familiar for heart disease and discuss them with his doctor.
The good news is that When women activate, the results are extraordinary. I see patients who change lifestyle, who take care of themselves, who return to the controls with improved parameters and more serene smiles. Cardiovascular prevention works, especially in women, but must start at the right time.
My most urgent message is that of Do not underestimate the signals of your body and do not postpone the controls. Menopause can be the beginning of an active and healthy life phase, but only if faced with awareness.