Women Notice Spike in Blood Pressure During Menopause

Many women may notice higher blood pressure as they age, so is there a correlation between blood pressure and menopause?

Victoria Shields was among patients who began noticing changes as she aged.

"I've always had very low blood pressure, and then, like, as I was approaching 50, I noticed that it started to climb," Shield said.

During regular checkups, Shields' blood pressure was elevated. Her doctor suggested she check her pressure at home, and over time, she saw her numbers creeping up but didn't feel a difference.

"Not at the beginning, but in the last like six months or so, I noticed that I had, like, a little bit of shortness of breath and coughing, and I had attributed it to asthma because I have asthma, too, and I was using my inhaler all the time," Shields added.

Recognizing high blood pressure can be tricky, but awareness and monitoring are key. According to Mark Vesely, M.D., a board certified cardiologist with The Heart Center at Mercy in Baltimore, it doesn't always present symptoms.

"We have many, many women who come into the office and we're seeing them for the first time for high blood pressure, and they're saying, 'I've never had high blood pressure, why is this an issue?' And, it really is almost a natural progression as women age," Dr. Vesely said.

If high enough, some patients may experience headaches, jitteriness and dizziness, or become moody.

"As women enter the perimenopausal and menopausal state, those hormone shifts actually have what appear to have a pretty direct impact on high blood pressure," Dr. Vesely explained.

High blood pressure is a risk factor for heart disease, but it is treatable with lifestyle changes and medication. Dr. Vesely recommends decreasing salt intake, increasing potassium and magnesium, exercising routinely and losing weight. Plus, refraining from smoking or alcohol can have huge impacts.

"It was disappointing because I feel like I'm someone who, like, I care about what I eat and I try to take good care of myself, but those things that I was doing weren't really making a difference," Shields said.

Shields was diagnosed with high blood pressure, but it's controlled with medication.

"It's better than it's been in years, and that's really positive, and so I worry about it less, which is probably good for my blood pressure," Shields said.

View Mercy cardiologist Dr. Mark Vesely's interview regarding women and high blood pressure issues during menopause.