Menopause as a cardiovascular risk window

What if your hot flashes are actually warning signs about your cardiovascular health? Dr. Mary Claire Haver sits down with research cardiologist Dr. Jayne Morgan to talk about the intersection of menopause and heart disease. Dr. Morgan explains why women present with different heart attack symptoms than men, how menopause accelerates cardiovascular risk, and why the medical system still isn't recognizing the connection. You'll learn what hot flashes reveal about stroke and heart disease risk, how arterial stiffening and blood pressure changes happen during the menopause transition, and why hormone therapy started early may be protective for your heart. Dr. Morgan shares which lab tests women should be getting, when to start screening for cardiovascular disease, and what lifestyle changes actually make a difference. She also discusses the role of statins, GLP-1s, and why research done primarily on men has led to treatments that may harm women. This conversation covers what every woman needs to know about protecting her heart through midlife and beyond.

Guest links:

• Dr. Jayne Morgan (Instagram)

• Dr. Jayne Morgan (YouTube)

• Dr. Jayne Morgan (TikTok)

• Healthy Her Series (AIB Network)

• Jayne Morgan, MD (LinkedIn)

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Articles

• Improving Cardiovascular Clinical Competencies for the Menopausal Transition: A Focus on Cardiometabolic Health in Midlife (JACC Advances)

• Beta-blockers did not reduce cardiovascular events in selected heart attack patients in the REBOOT trial (European Society of Cardiology)

• Guidelines in Action: New Considerations for Primary Prevention of Stroke Related to Premature and Early Menopause (Stroke/American Heart Association)

• Risk of Cardiovascular Disease by Hysterectomy Status, With and Without Oophorectomy: The Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study (Circulation/American Heart Association)

• Menopause Transition and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Implications for Timing of Early Prevention: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association (Circulation/American Heart Association)

• Emerging role of GLP-1 agonists in cardio-metabolic therapy - Focus on Semaglutide (American Heart Journal Plus: Cardiology Research and Practice)

Other Resources

• Breast Cancer Foundation (Susan G. Komen)

• Dr. Stacy Sims (Dr. Stacy Sims - About)

• Symptoms of Coronary Heart Disease (NIH)

• Cardiac Biomarkers (NIH)

• Framingham Risk Score for Hard Coronary Heart Disease

• Gates Foundation Announces Catalytic Funding to Spark New Era of Women-Centered Research and Innovation (Gates Foundation)

• Advancing Postpartum Systems of Care Initiative (American Heart Association)

• Prevention (World Heart Federation)

• Assessing the Impact of Lipoprotein (a) Lowering With Pelacarsen (TQJ230) on Major Cardiovascular Events in Patients With CVD (Lp(a)HORIZON) (Clinicaltrials.gov)

Sleep Disorders and Heart Health (American Heart Association)

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