Heart disease is important. Women worry most about dying from breast cancer, but in actual fact, more women die of heart disease. This in no way diminishes the importance of breast cancer, but it does highlight how important it is to be aware of heart disease too.
There’s a lot of conflicting and sometimes worrying advice on the internet connecting HRT with heart disease. Here’s what we know for certain:
If HRT is started within ten years of the menopause or before the age of 60, HRT can help prevent cardiovascular disease and reduce the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. So, even if you have risk factors for cardiovascular disease like high blood pressure or high cholesterol, it doesn’t mean that you can’t take HRT.
If you start HRT more than ten years after the menopause – HRT may not prevent heart disease, but there is no evidence of an increase in cardiovascular illnesses, such as heart attacks or strokes.