Menopause

Did you know that half of women over the age of 50 will die of heart disease?

During and after menopause, a woman’s body stops producing estrogen. This is a problem because estrogen protects a woman’s heart during her childbearing years by controlling the amount of fat (lipids) in her body. These lipids make up the cholesterol in a woman’s bloodstream and helps fight the buildup of unhealthy cholesterol (LDL).

Good and bad cholesterol

Many scientists believe that estrogen helps increase the amount of the good cholesterol (HDL) and reduce the amount of the LDL. This works to prevent arteries from developing fatty deposits so that a woman’s blood can flow more easily through her heart.

Bad cholesteral causes arteries to become clogged

When a woman’s body stops producing estrogen, the amount of the bad cholesterol (LDL) in her bloodstream increases, which prevents the good cholesterol from doing its job. This higher amount of LDL cholesterol can cause a thickening of the arteries leading to the heart which increases blood pressure.

An interesting fact

An interesting fact is that natural menopause seems to have less of an impact on a woman’s heart as estrogen levels tend to decrease slowly. However, women who go through menopause as the result of surgery tend to have an increased risk of heart disease. This is because estrogen levels drop so quickly.

The good news about CVD

The thickening of the arteries caused by LDS cholesterol is caller atherosclerosis. It is one of a group of disorders of the heart and circulatory system called CVDs. While scientists are not sure why this is true, it seems that estrogen also helps protect a woman against CVD during her childbearing years. This is a fact even when they have the same risk factors as men. After menopause, the incidence of CVD increases every year, putting a woman at an even greater risk for heart disease. The good news is that CVD can be prevented or least reduced by early recognition, changes in lifestyle and, many doctors believe, by hormone replacement therapy.

Synthetic hnormones and heart disease

Sadly enough, there has been at least one study by the Women’s Health Initiative showing that women who take synthetic estrogen have an increased risk of heart attacks, stroke and breast cancer. For this reason, many women are turing to a more natural way replace lost hormones through bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. It’s considered by many to be superior to synthetic hormones because they re molecularly identical to the body’s on hormones.

Are you or your partner peri- or post-menopausal? Then you need to know more about bioidentical therapy, a new more natural way to replace lost hormones - to look and feel younger and live longer.

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