Midlife as the Critical Window for Women's Stroke and Dementia Prevention: Pivotal Advances and Implementation Priorities - PubMed
3 hours ago
- #midlife health
- #stroke prevention
- #women's health
- Midlife (ages 40-65) is a critical window for preventing stroke and dementia in women.
- Women face higher lifetime risks of stroke and dementia than men, yet prevention strategies are not optimally implemented.
- The menopausal transition brings hormonal, metabolic, vascular, and neurological changes that impact vascular brain health.
- Recent advances include screening for adverse pregnancy outcomes and understanding their long-term effects on vascular brain injury.
- Menopause hormone therapy now supports personalized, timing-based approaches.
- Midlife biomarkers (inflammatory and lipid) can predict future stroke risk.
- Postmenopausal women benefit more from physical activity in terms of vascular health.
- Current gaps include underrepresentation of women in stroke trials and lack of routine screening/prevention recommendations.
- A comprehensive midlife assessment should include reproductive history, menopausal status, and novel biomarkers.
- Closing implementation gaps requires health system adaptation, provider education, and pragmatic trials.