Women’s heart after 45
Women’s heart health after 45: menopause and cardiovascular risk
Menopause is not about your figure. It is the point at which a woman’s cardiovascular risk changes.
Why now
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in women, in Romania and across Europe.
With menopause, hormonal protection declines. Blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and where weight sits all change — usually without pain and without anything to see.
It isn’t menopause that ages a woman fastest. It’s the loss of muscle mass.
What is assessed
- Blood pressure — measured in the clinic and at home, because a single reading does not tell the whole story.
- Lipids and blood sugar — which can shift in the years around menopause, even without any change in lifestyle.
- Kidneys — the line on the blood test almost nobody reads: eGFR. The kidneys and the heart cannot be assessed separately.
- Muscle mass and movement — the scale does not show what is being lost. Strength and daily movement are part of prevention.
- The heart itself — ECG and echocardiography, when the assessment calls for them.
If you have been through breast cancer
Breast cancer treatment can affect the heart, and treatment-induced menopause changes risk as well. The two are assessed together. About cardio-oncology →