2023-09-25 13:41:58
Reminder on hypertension : l’high blood pressure (hta), or high blood pressure, is characterized by abnormally high blood pressure on the walls of the arteries, at all times, even at rest or in the absence of stress. Hypertension greatly increases the risk of developing cardiovascular complications. Normal blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg; at the house of hypertensive peoplethe blood pressure is equal to or greater than 140/90 mmHg.
Are hypertension and menopause linked?
Although we do not know the exact causes, we know that several factors favor the appearance of high blood pressure: excess weight, age, diabetes, a sedentary lifestyle, etc. Like contraception or pregnancy, menopause is a period of upheaval in a woman’s hormonal life. At the cardiovascular level, it is accompanied by a increased blood pressure.
Up to the age of 50 – the average age of menopause – hypertension in women is less common than in men. But, At menopause, blood pressure in women tends to increase : at 60 and over, 1 in 2 women are affected by this condition.
Why does blood pressure increase during menopause?
At menopause, secretion of female sex hormones decreases gradually. Estrogens no longer exert their protective effect on the vascular system, which will cause blood vessels to narrow, making the walls of the arteries thicker and more rigid. Result ? The arteries stiffen and there is an increased risk of increased blood pressure (BP).
Furthermore, a study showed that women suffering from moderate to severe hot flashes were at greater risk of developing hypertension1.
5 Ways to Control High Blood Pressure During Menopause
To maintain a healthy cardiovascular system, it is possible to act by changing your lifestyle habits:
- Adopt a healthy diet: obesity being a factor favoring hypertension. On the menu: less sugar and less saturated fat, and vegetables and fruits, rich in fiber,
- Avoid foods too rich in salt,
- Limit alcohol consumption, excessive alcohol consumption also being a factor favoring hypertension,
- Practicing physical activity and more precisely regular physical activity, in endurance and moderate muscle strengthening2. Another idea? To go upstairs ! A study demonstrated that to go upstairs helps lower blood pressure, especially in postmenopausal women with estrogen deficiencies who are more susceptible to vascular and muscular problems3,
- NO SMOKING.
What treatment to improve blood pressure during menopause?
At menopause, a “hormonal treatment for menopause” (THM) (hormone replacement therapy (THS)) may be prescribed. It allows you to replace hormones (estrogen and/or progesterone) which are no longer produced naturally by the body with the aim of improving quality of life. However, all women treated with HRT should benefit froma regular re-assessment of their state of health and their treatment by the prescribing doctor, at least once a year (blood test, clinical examination, etc.) », specifies the Health Insurance website. because taking this treatment increases the risks of breast cancer, endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer, stroke and venous thrombosis in women. This treatment has not provided proof of its benefit in reducing the cardiovascular risk and its usefulness must be assessed on a case-by-case basis3.
1. Understanding of and clinical approach to cardiometabolic transition at the menopause, I Lambrinoudaki, E Armeni 1.
2. Effect of aerobic exercise on blood pressure: a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials. Ann Intern Med.Whelton SP, Chin A, Xin X, He J. 2002;136:493-503.
3. The effects of stair climbing on arterial stiffness, blood pressure, and leg strength in postmenopausal women with stage 2 hypertension Alexei Wong 1, Arturo Figueroa 2, Won-Mok Son 3, Oksana Chernykh 4, Song-Young Park 3 5.
4. Hypertension and menopausal hormone therapy, C. Mounier-Vehier, T. Angoulvant, JM Boivin, G. Plu-Bureau.
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