Since most women spend 1/3 of their lives in the stage of menopause it is necessary to be educated so quality of life will not be affected too much by the changes occurring in our bodies.  One thing that studies show can be more significant during and after menopause is heart disease in women.  It was reported recently that almost 65% of British women did not know that heart disease is the number one cause of death for women.  A greater number, 78%, did not know that they are at even greater risk after menopause.  One of the problems causing heart disease especially after menopause is that there can be an increase in the amount of cholesterol in the blood because of the changes in estrogen and other hormones in the body. 

One of the problems doctors have seen is that many times women have signs and symptoms of heart disease, but do not go in to the doctor for evaluation right away.  Many times women are used to living with a certain amount of discomfort in caring for their families and daily living that they often ignore these signs and symptoms.  It is just as important for women to have their cardiac evaluation as it is for the other evaluations like mammography, pap smear and colonoscopy. 

Many women may not have the “typical symptom” of sharp chest pain like men do, but they may have shortness of breath, jaw pain, arm pain and back pain.  Other times they may just have an overall feeling of just not feeling well and have a pain in the back between the shoulder blades.  If these symptoms are experienced a woman needs to see her doctor for evaluation and then may need something like an electrocardiogram, EKG, or stress test to determine if further evaluation is indicated. 

An EKG can most times be done in your regular doctor’s office and sometimes a stress test, too.  An EKG can show if there has been any changes in the heart rhythm and function and can indicate if there is any damage or if further evaluation is needed.  A stress test can show if there are any blockages or problem areas in the heart.  Most stress tests are exercise stress tests, but there are also stress tests that can be done on people who may not be able to complete the exercise portion of a stress test. 

If a problem is noted on the stress test someone may be advised to eat a healthy diet and exercise and possibly use a prescription medication, or they may be sent for a heart catheterization.  If there is a problem noted, then many times it can be corrected at that same time with no further intervention being required for that problem, except perhaps medication to prevent further problems. 

It is so important for women to care for their heart health just like any other part of their being and even more so as the time of menopause approaches.  It is better to be safe than sorry when someone is having any signs that could be cardiac in nature.  Get it checked out!

Sponsors