Menopause has been associated with increases in many cardiovascular risk factors including higher total serum cholesterol, triglycerides, and diastolic blood pressure.[1] Longitudinal research has found that HDL levels decrease postmenopausally, and this change appears to be more pronounced among women with a high BMI.[2] Furthermore, menopause has been associated with changes in lipoprotein metabolism and increased inflammation.[3]
The association between menopause timing and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk may be bidirectional, meaning that younger age at natural menopause is considered a marker of increased risk of CVD.[4]
Keep in mind, though, that menopause is not a disease. It is a natural phase of life. Overall the association between menopause and CVD risk is mixed, particularly in otherwise healthy women (e.g., nonsmoking women with a healthy BMI) who transition into menopause at a typical age.[5]
References
- ^Dallongeville J, Marecaux N, Isorez D, Zylbergberg G, Fruchart JC, Amouyel PMultiple coronary heart disease risk factors are associated with menopause and influenced by substitutive hormonal therapy in a cohort of French women.Atherosclerosis.(1995-Nov)
- ^Do KA, Green A, Guthrie JR, Dudley EC, Burger HG, Dennerstein LLongitudinal study of risk factors for coronary heart disease across the menopausal transition.Am J Epidemiol.(2000-Mar-15)
- ^Wang Q, Ferreira DLS, Nelson SM, Sattar N, Ala-Korpela M, Lawlor DAMetabolic characterization of menopause: cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence.BMC Med.(2018-02-06)
- ^Samar R El Khoudary, Brooke Aggarwal, Theresa M Beckie, Howard N Hodis, Amber E Johnson, Robert D Langer, Marian C Limacher, JoAnn E Manson, Marcia L Stefanick, Matthew A Allison, American Heart Association Prevention Science Committee of the Council on Epidemiology and Prevention; and Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke NursingMenopause Transition and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Implications for Timing of Early Prevention: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart AssociationCirculation.(2020 Dec 22)
- ^Colpani V, Baena CP, Jaspers L, van Dijk GM, Farajzadegan Z, Dhana K, Tielemans MJ, Voortman T, Freak-Poli R, Veloso GGV, Chowdhury R, Kavousi M, Muka T, Franco OHLifestyle factors, cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in middle-aged and elderly women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Eur J Epidemiol.(2018-Sep)