Most women did not know that menopause may increase their risk of heart diseases, therefore, a lot of women who are approaching menopause do not have heart disease on their list of health concerns but actually they should.
Menopause is a natural process that happens to every woman. It can be difficult and some women even experience side-effects. There are many symptoms of menopause, but do you know that there are signs of heart changes during menopause? Menopause usually affects women over the age of 50.
The word menopause brings to mind the terrible hot flashes, insomnia, and night sweats, which women of ages 50-54 have to deal with. Menopause heart pounding is a definite reality during this difficult time, even though; heart disease may not be high on your list of health concerns.
Menopause and Heart Disease
Heart disease is the leading cause of death. A woman’s risk of heart disease increases dramatically around the time she goes through menopause — for most women, this is between ages 50 to 54. What happens during menopause is that the levels of the primary female hormone, estrogen, in a woman’s body drop significantly. Signs of heart changes during menopause start to show during this time, and you could be a bit alarmed.
We are here to tell you signs that will bring forth the question of menopause, in other words, heart changes as menopause symptoms.
Also read: Woman are more at risk of a heart attack: Know the symptoms
High Blood Pressure
With a drop in the estrogen level, a woman’s heart and blood vessels become stiff and less elastic. Now because of these changes, the blood pressure tends to rise. Then elevated blood pressure can place added strain on the heart. This could be attributed to your menopause heart pounding.
Diabetes
There is a chance that going through menopause will cause you to become more resistant to insulin. Insulin is the hormone which is required to convert blood sugar and starch into energy for the cells. This is why women are often more likely to experience pre-diabetes and diabetes when they transition to menopause from pre-menopause. Then, of course, we know that diabetes increases the risk of heart diseases and stroke. This is an important pre-menopause symptom.
High Cholesterol
Menopause symptoms also include high cholesterol. The lack of estrogen brings about detrimental changes in your cholesterol and blood fats. Therefore, it is noticed that your good cholesterol (HDL) may go down, and your bad cholesterol (LDL) may go up. This then increases your risk of heart attacks and dying of heart disease.
Weight Gain
Yet another effect of estrogen is weight gain. Estrogen affects where fat is stored and how it is burned, so menopause can cause women’s metabolism to slow, which contributes to weight gain. This inadvertently puts stress on the heart and increases the risk of heart disease. So, heart palpitations should be common during this time. It is important to check with your doctor.
Also read: A Low-carb Diet and Workout Combo to Burn Body Fat
Atrial Fibrillation
Women may find themselves experiencing abnormal heart rhythms, which is also known as atrial fibrillation. Hormonal changes could often cause your heart to slow down, and could also block the heart, causing dizziness. So, pre-menopause sign could include the dizzy feeling. These abnormal heart rhythms could be also attributed to high blood pressure.
Shortness of Breath
Feeling fatigue is a common symptom of menopause, and a clear indication would be shortness of breath. So if suddenly you find yourself feeling out-of-breath when climbing stairs, then you should visit a doctor. This probably indicates menopause.
Chest Pressure
A clear indication of menopause could be a feeling of fullness, squeezing or dull pressure in the chest. This does not go away very easily and comes back every now and then. Sure, it could be a heart disease, or it could simply be menopause. No matter what it may be, it is very important to get it checked.
Feet Swelling and Jaw Ache
These two factors are often avoided because they seem like normal issues that would pass with time. The truth is that these are indications of menopause. The swelling of feet could be caused by fluid accumulating in your legs as a result of congestive heart failure, while, an aching jaw could be a sign of an unhealthy heart.
Women should lead a healthy lifestyle by eating well and doing enough exercises in order to avoid menopause issues.
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