The leading cause of death in women begins to build in midlife
400,000+ US women die of cardiovascular disease each year, more than from breast cancer, lung cancer and chronic lung disease combined
80%+ of heart attacks, strokes and heart failure events after menopause are considered preventable with early action
77% higher risk of later cardiovascular events in women with persistent, frequent hot flashes
Most heart attacks, strokes and cases of heart failure in women occur after menopause, a stage that can span up to 40% of a woman's life. The evidence increasingly points to the years before it as the moment to act.
During perimenopause, lipid profiles, body composition, blood pressure and vascular function shift unfavorably, and cardiovascular risk begins to accelerate. Yet only 41% of women identify cardiovascular disease as their greatest health threat.
2026 put perimenopause on the cardiology map
In October 2026, women's health became a national priority in the United States. In the same month, the American Heart Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine published the first joint framework linking women's cardiovascular risk to 4 hormonal life stages, with perimenopause as a distinct stage.
Research published this year points the same way. Perimenopausal women already show nearly twice the odds of poor cardiovascular health compared with premenopausal women, and the timing of treatment relative to the transition appears to change its cardiovascular effect.
Still, public attention centers on menopause, and on cardiovascular events once they occur. The transition that precedes both remains largely unaddressed, and most women do not recognize it when it begins.
The joint framework: reference 13.