Changes in heart health parameters at midlife happen even to the very fit among us. A personal story.
It was 2021 when I heard:
“For reasons not yet completely understood, multiple negative changes related to heart health occur in midlife women between the ages of 40 and 65, a time coincident with the menopausal transition.”
Multiple negative changes? Not completely understood?
I had assumed negative midlife changes in heart health parameters only happened in those of us that became less active, didn’t eat as well and/or gained weight.
The quote above was shared by Dr. Samar El Khoudary, Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, during her talk at the Translational Science Symposium focused on Midlife Health and Wellness that took place before The Menopause Society’s 2021 annual meeting. Hear what else she said here.
I thought back to Dr. El Khoudary’s talk recently when I heard Selene Yeager, the host of the Feisty Menopause podcast, Hit Play Not Pause, sharing her own story about midlife changes in heart health parameters. Selene is a former professional mountain bike racer and all-American Ironman triathlete who continues to run and race bikes off-road. She is very fit and has been throughout perimenopause and into post menopause. Her podcast is aimed at performance-minded women.
I reached out to Selene to follow up and ask some specific questions because I think too often, we assume it is solely our actions, or inactions, that lead to changes in heart health parameters. And while our actions can and do contribute (see their impact here), sometimes changes in heart health parameters happen due to factors we can’t control. Selene’s experience drove that point home for me.
3 Questions about midlife changes in heart health parameters with Selene Yeager
Q: You’ve spoken about your surprise with changes in heart health parameters during perimenopause despite being a serious athlete and someone who was very fit. Can you share what changed?
Selene: My lipids and blood sugar have always trended on the higher side, but when I hit post menopause, my LDL shot up 30 points literally overnight without me doing anything different on the nutrition/training front.
Q: And what did you do to investigate those changes?
Selene: I didn’t really do anything to investigate them because I understood that this is extremely common post menopause, no matter how active you are or what your lifestyle is. What I did investigate was whether this was having a negative impact on my coronary artery health. Especially because my blood pressure remained low, my triglycerides were low, my HDL is good, and my ApoB is in a healthy range. More on ApoB and other markers of heart health here. I went to get a new type of coronary artery calcium scan and found that my arteries were clear of soft and hard plaque. There’s a lot we still don’t understand about all of these metrics.
Q: What have you learned?
Selene: I’ve learned that …
- A healthy diet, exercise routine, and lifestyle do not make you immune to changes in heart health parameters.
- These changes also don’t always mean you’re on a fast track to heart disease. It’s important to understand your individual risk.
- Women need to know their metrics and take the preventative measures necessary for their own personal health.
