Heart disease can affect anyone. Men are typically at higher risk, but menopause brings hormonal changes in women that also significantly affect their cardiovascular health. Estrogen declines rapidly during perimenopause and continues to decline through menopause, increasing your risk for heart disease.
Inga Zilberstein, MD, is a women’s health specialist in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York, who considers every aspect of your health. Here’s what you should know about how hormone imbalance influences your cardiovascular health.
Hormones are the body’s chemical messengers that travel to tissues and organs and carry out specific functions. They impact every aspect of your health, including cardiovascular wellness.
Specific hormones control heart health, including estrogen, testosterone, cortisol, and thyroid hormones. These hormones help regulate blood pressure, cholesterol, and cardiac rhythm.
Imbalances in key hormones contribute to increased inflammation and stress in the body as well as thyroid issues, all of which raise the risk of cardiovascular problems.
Hormone imbalances, especially involving cortisol, insulin, and estrogen, significantly affect cardiovascular health. Women in menopause face a higher cardiovascular risk due to low estrogen.
Hormone imbalances influence heart health in the following ways:
Low estrogen levels cause the vessels to stiffen, which increases blood pressure and affects cholesterol levels.
Estrogen helps regulate cholesterol. Low estrogen levels raise LDL cholesterol, increasing cardiovascular risk.
Stiffer blood vessels from low estrogen increase blood pressure. Less flexibility and responsiveness in blood vessels raise your risk of heart disease.
High cortisol, low estrogen, and thyroid issues trigger inflammation that affects cardiovascular health. Inflammation is a key factor in heart disease.
When estrogen levels drop, metabolism slows, often leading to weight gain. Increased abdominal fat and weight gain are both risk factors of cardiovascular disease.
A healthy hormonal balance is key to optimal heart function. During periods of high stress in the body or hormonal swings like menopause, specific lifestyle changes and treatments help you restore balance.
Regular exercise and a healthy diet help regulate hormones. Physical activity improves insulin resistance and normalizes cortisol. A diet with more omega-3s and antioxidants supports thyroid and hormone production.
High cortisol from chronic stress harms heart health. You can work to manage stress with practices like meditation, yoga, or relaxation to maintain a healthy heart.
Good sleep is essential for hormone balance. Sleeping 7-8 hours nightly regulates insulin, cortisol, and thyroid hormones.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is another option when lifestyle changes aren’t enough. Dr. Zilberstein offers both traditional and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), which help restore hormone balance. By supplementing declining estrogen levels, HRT may reduce risk factors associated with heart disease that arise after menopause.
February is American Heart Month and a good reminder to love your heart. Contact Inga Zilberstein, MD, to learn more about your hormones and heart health. Call or text 830-254-5941, or send a message through the website to schedule an appointment.
