Many women correlate menopause with hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness and mood changes, however, in addition, in many women menopause may trigger chronic low-grade systemic inflammation, increasing your risk of:

• Coronary artery disease
  • The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) Guidelines recognize the postmenopausal state as a risk factor for Cardiovascular Disease. 
  • The menopause transition is associated with negative effects on cholesterol, blood pressure, body composition, sleep, and mood, which can accelerate a person’s risk for future heart disease. 
  • Menopause is an important window of opportunity in a person’s life to adopt treatments to prevent cardiovascular disease.
  • Advanced lipid testing along and cardiac imaging may help predict your risk of developing future cardiac events.
  • The time is now. Preventing cardiac disease is more effective than treating it after it has already occurred.
• Insulin resistance and prediabetes
  • Insulin resistance can occur in men or women, but menopausal women are at greater risk because, as estrogen levels fall during the menopause transition, the body can become less responsive to insulin. 
  • Insulin resistance can be diagnosed with advanced blood tests and should be aggressively treated as it can be a precursor of type II diabetes, cancer, dementia and many metabolic disorders.
  • The time is now. Treating insulin resistance is vital to prevent the development of full-blown diabetes.
  • This can often be reversed with aggressive dietary modifications and exercise programs.
• Osteoporosis
  • Bone density and skeletal muscle mass starts to decrease as estrogen levels decrease.
  • On average, women lose up to 10% of their bone density in the first 5 years after menopause.
  • About 50% over the age of 60 will experience at least one fracture due to osteoporosis.
  • The time is now.  Maintaining bone health is far more effective than rebuilding bone health
• Neuroinflammation
  • Emerging evidence is showing that peri-menopause is pro-inflammatory and disrupts estrogen-regulated neurological systems
  • “Brain fog” and the occasional lack of concentration may increase with decreases in systemic estrogen
  • Speaking with a cognitive health professional or neurologist and undergoing a neurocognitive evaluation (testing to measure brain function), brain MRI, or genetic testing for risks of Alzheimer’s disease can address the concerns people are experiencing, and allow for the development of a plan to optimize day-to-day functioning, brain health, and quality of life.

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