New heart health risk factors for women over age 50!

February is American Heart Month — a good time to know what’s at stake in terms of your cardiovascular health.

For women over age 50, a few factors regarding heart health deserve a little more attention, according to experts.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in women, according to Northwell Health cardiologist and American Heart Association volunteer medical expert Dr. Stacey Rosen, who is based in New York.
Nearly 45% of women over 20 years old are actually living with some form of CVD, Rosen told Fox News Digital.

Gender-specific risk factors include menstrual history and adverse pregnancy outcomes, she said.

“Other sex-specific risk factors include anxiety and depression, increased risk due to certain treatments for breast cancer, and rheumatologic conditions,” she said.

Dr. John Whyte, chief medical officer of WebMD and based in Washington, D.C., also told Fox News Digital about some primary risk factors for women age 50 and older — starting with menopause.

“The decrease in estrogen levels after menopause is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons [we see an] increase in heart attacks around this age.”

High blood pressure and high cholesterol also often increase with age and can become “more challenging to control,