Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a common health problem for both women and men in the United States, but is there a link between menopause in women and elevated blood pressure?
According to Women’s Health Matters, hypertension tends to occur as people age. In younger adults, blood pressure tends to be higher for men. After the age of 30, men’s blood pressure tends to increase at a regular pace while women’s blood pressure rises more slowly.
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However, once a woman reaches menopause, those increases in blood pressure speed up at a much higher rate. Dr. Paula Harvey, the director of the cardiac research program at Women’s College Hospital, points out that once women reach the age of 60, their hypertension is greater than men’s.
Menopause does not cause heart disease, but hypertension along with other risk factors and unhealthy lifestyle habits can begin to take their toll on a woman’s health.
According to the American Heart Association, the natural decline in estrogen hormone levels that occur during menopause may play a role in hypertension and increased risk of heart disease.
In addition to higher blood pressure, other risk factors for heart disease can come into play during menopause. For instance, LDL or “bad” cholesterol levels rise while HDL or “good” cholesterol levels decline.
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While many health experts agree that hormonal shifts are a factor in menopausal hypertension, others blame the weight gain, or increase in body mass index, that also is common during menopause. This weight gain makes the body more reactive to salt in the diet,
increasing blood pressure, explains Mayo Clinic.
Mayo Clinic urges all women, especially those entering menopause, to take stock of their overall health and take steps to make positive changes where necessary.
It recommends maintaining a healthy weight, limiting processed foods that can be high in sodium, and eating plenty of fresh vegetables.
Mayo Clinic also recommends ramping up an exercise program to get activity on most days of the week. Taking these steps can help ward off the hypertension that is so common during menopause.
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