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Although
there is a wide range of possible menopause-related conditions, there
are at least two major health conditions that can develop because of the
decrease in hormone production that occurs at menopause: coronary artery
disease and osteoporosis.
Up
until menopause, estrogen helps keep a woman’s blood vessels stable
and open and her arteries free of plaque build-up.
Estrogen helps raise HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol), which
helps remove LDL-cholesterol (the type that contributes to the
accumulation of fat deposits called plaque along artery walls).
After menopause, a woman’s risk for developing coronary artery
disease (CAD) — a condition in which the veins and arteries that take
blood to the heart become narrowed or blocked by plaque —increases
steadily. Heart attack and stroke are caused by atherosclerotic disease
in most cases.
Also,
estrogen helps prevent bone loss and works together with calcium and
other hormones and minerals to help build bones.
A woman’s body constantly builds and remodels bone through a
process called resorption and deposition.
Until around age 30, the body makes more new bone than it breaks
down. But, once estrogen
levels start to decline, this process also slows down. By menopause, a
woman’s body breaks down more bone than it rebuilds.
In the years immediately after menopause, some women risk losing
as much as 20 percent of their bone mass.
Although bone loss eventually levels out in the late 50s, in the
years ahead, a woman’s body will need help to keep bone structures
strong and healthy and to prevent osteoporosis. Osteoporosis occurs when
bones become too weak and brittle to support normal activities.
Not
all women develop heart disease or osteoporosis. Many more things affect
their heart and bones than estrogen alone.
For example, exercise improves your cardiovascular system —
your heart, lungs, and blood vessels — at any age.
It can help decrease high blood pressure, a concern for one out
of every three women over age 60. It can also help reduce weight gain, a major risk factor for
heart disease, diabetes and many other health conditions common to older
women. You are never too old to begin or continue exercising.
A simple walking routine for 30 minutes three to five days a week
can provide health benefits. There
are other exercise options. Talk
to your health care professional about which ones fit your lifestyle and
medical needs.
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