Menopause and women’s cardiovascular health – is it really an obvious relationship?

Cardiovascular diseases are common for women and men but there are differences between the sexes in terms of clinical symptoms, pathophysiology and response to the treatment. CVD in women is commonly underdiagnosed and often women tend to have a lower perception of the risk. That can lead to delayed diagnosis and failed recognition of symptoms. Women develop heart disease later than men because of the protection that exists in the reproductive phase of their life. Once they enter menopause the risk increases. Estrogen provides a protective effect against heart disease in women. Therefore, the risk of CVD increases after menopause in most cases. Presented work emphasizes the importance of the menopausal period as the time of increasing CVD risk. Emphasize the importance of monitoring the health of women in their middle age, a critical time in which early intervention strategies should be implemented to reduce the risk of CVD.