Cardiovascular & Stroke Risk in Menopausal Women: Need for Gender Specific Treatment

With cardiovascular complications as a leading cause of death in the United States, many adults are looking for ways to improve health and overcome the statistics and odds of early demise. For many women, however, this risk may be associated not with lifestyle choices but with the natural progression of aging.

Menopause is a significant time in which a woman's body undergoes profound change. With these changes, and the modification to the biochemistry of a woman's body, she falls into a greater risk for death by cardiovascular disease.

While there are many preventative health approaches to reducing the risk for stroke and other cardiovascular events, women of post-menopausal age must take special note to use only those preventative measures and treatments which are approved for their gender-specific needs.

An example of risk involves the use of aspirin. While men may benefit, in terms of cardiovascular health, from the use of aspirin to reduce the risk of a cardiovascular event such as stroke, women, on the other hand, do not net these same therapeutic benefits. While aspirin is not shown to be a detriment, it is certainly not a way in which to improve health risks for stroke in women.

In addition to aspirin, women of post-menopausal age must also carefully weigh the risks and benefits of using hormone replacement therapy (HRT). While for one woman, the use of HRT may improve overall health outcomes, in other woman, the use of HRT may lead to age related health complications including a risk for increasing stroke and other cardiovascular events.

When considering the use of aspirin or hormone replacement therapy, the question of hypertension often comes into play. With much debate about the effective use of these items at reducing risk, if a woman experiences complication associated with hypertension, this may direct the entire treatment plan.