Sex hormones seem to play a role in heart disease. Several population studies show that the loss of natural estrogen as women age may contribute to a higher risk of heart disease after menopause. If menopause is caused by surgery to remove the uterus and ovaries, the risk of heart attack rises sharply. If menopause occurs naturally, the risk rises more slowly. Hormones also affect blood cholesterol.
Male hormones do the opposite.
ERT and HRT may increase a woman's risk of some diseases and health conditions. Your healthcare provider can give you more information and help you make the best choice. The early forms of birth control pills , with higher doses of estrogen and progestin , increased a woman's risk of heart disease and stroke, especially in older women who smoked heavily. Newer, lower-dose oral contraceptives carry a much lower risk of cardiovascular disease, except for women who smoke or have high blood pressure. It rises even more after age 35.