Cardiovascular Health Screenings
Protecting Your Heart Health in Menopause
The New Frontier of Your Health: Prioritising Your Heart
Throughout your reproductive years, the hormone estrogen provides a powerful, natural protective shield for your cardiovascular system. It helps to keep your blood vessels flexible, manages your cholesterol levels, and helps regulate your blood pressure. One of the most significant and under-appreciated health shifts of menopause is the loss of this protection, which causes a woman’s risk of heart disease and stroke to rise, eventually equalling that of men.
This is not a reason for alarm, but it is a compelling reason for action. The menopausal transition is a critical opportunity to be proactive about your heart health. A Cardiovascular Health Screening is a simple yet powerful way to understand your personal risk profile and to implement a preventative strategy that will protect your heart for the rest of your life. At MyMenopauseSupport.org, I consider this screening to be an essential pillar of comprehensive midlife care.
Cardiovascular Risk
Why Does Cardiovascular Risk Increase After Menopause?
The decline in estrogen impacts your cardiovascular system in several key ways:
Changes in Cholesterol
Estrogen helps to maintain a healthy balance of cholesterol, keeping "good" HDL cholesterol high and "bad" LDL cholesterol low. As estrogen falls, this balance can shift unfavourably, leading to higher levels of LDL cholesterol, which can contribute to the buildup of plaque in your arteries.
Increased Blood Pressure
Estrogen helps to keep your blood vessels relaxed and pliable. Its absence can contribute to a stiffening of the arteries and a gradual rise in blood pressure.
Changes in Fat Storage
As we know, menopause causes a shift in fat storage to the abdomen. This visceral fat is metabolically active and is a known risk factor for heart disease.
Increased Inflammation
Estrogen has anti-inflammatory properties, and its decline can lead to a state of low-grade, chronic inflammation, which is a key driver of cardiovascular disease.
Cardiovascular Health Screening
What is Included in a Cardiovascular Health Screening?
Our screening is a comprehensive assessment of your key cardiovascular risk factors. It is designed to give us a clear, data-driven picture of your heart health.
The In-Depth Consultation
- We start with a detailed review of your personal and family medical history to understand any hereditary predispositions to heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes.
- We also conduct a thorough lifestyle assessment, discussing your diet, exercise habits, alcohol intake, and smoking status.
The Key Clinical Measurements
- Blood Pressure Check: We will take an accurate reading of your blood pressure, a fundamental marker of your heart’s health.
Body Mass Index (BMI) & Waist Circumference: These simple measurements help us to assess your body composition and the amount of abdominal fat.
The Advanced Blood Tests
- Full Lipid Profile: This is more than just a simple cholesterol check. It measures your Total Cholesterol, LDL (“bad”) Cholesterol, HDL (“good”) Cholesterol, and Triglycerides, giving us a complete picture of your cholesterol status.
- HbA1c (Blood Sugar): This test provides an average of your blood sugar levels over the past three months and is the gold standard for screening for pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes, which is a major risk factor for heart disease.
