Menopause and the Metabolic SyndromeThe Study of Women's Health Across the Nation

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the primary cause of death in women in Western countries. Women tend to develop the disease about 10 years later than men, with a marked increase through the menopausal years.¹ Cardiovascular disease is rare among women younger than 45 years, but women older than 55 years are more likely than men to have CVD.^2,3 This has led to the hypothesis that changes during the menopausal transition increase the risk of CVD, independent of normal aging.^4,5 This hypothesis is supported by studies that show that surgically induced menopause increases the risk of CVD⁶ and by autopsy studies that show minimal vascular disease before but not after menopause.⁷