Is Estrogen Your Friend? Busy Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Heart

Here’s what you need to know about estrogen and your heart

While doctors are not completely sure how estrogen works, it is clear younger women enjoy some protection from heart disease most likely related to estrogen’s role in the control of cholesterol. As women age, the amount of estrogen decreases and their risk of heart disease increases. Women’s risk eventually catches up to and then surpasses men’s risk.

Women who use hormonal birth control, have gone through menopause, or have their ovaries removed lose this protection.

This protection is only against the “hardening of the arteries” type of heart disease and does not have an impact on rhythm issues or other types of mechanical problems of the cardiovascular system.

Decreasing estrogen is just one of the risk factors for heart disease. Discuss all of your risk factors with your doctor to be sure you are doing your best to keep your heart healthy!

Eliz Greene works with busy women who want to improve their heart health so they can live longer, feel better, and stress less.

She is the author of the Busy Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Heart and 3 other books on wellness.  She writes one of the top 50 health and wellness blogs and is a sought-after women’s wellness speaker. Find out about her women’s wellness programs, workplace wellness programs and programs for healthcare professionals at EmbraceYourHeart.com