First, get plenty of calcium and vitamin D, both before and after menopause. Second, exercising often may also help keep muscles and bones strong and lessen the chance of falls and broken bones. Aim for 30 minutes of weight-bearing exercises like walking, jogging, or weight lifting 3 days a week or more. Third, taking estrogen or one of several other drugs available will also prevent further loss of bone. Heart disease .
Young women have a lower risk of heart disease than do men.
This changes with age. Falling estrogen levels during menopause may lead to higher cholesterol levels in older women. This, in turn, increases the chance of heart disease, stroke, and other diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels. After menopause, a woman s risk of heart disease grows to almost equal the risk for a man. In fact, heart disease kills more women than lung or breast cancer.