A new study has been examining exposure to estrogen over the course of a lifetime and how this impacts someone’s risk of having a stroke. What they found was that those who had been exposed to more estrogen over the course of their life have a lower risk of suffering a stroke as they age.
Estrogen is a hormone typically associated with women’s sexual and reproductive health. As a woman begins puberty, estrogen levels increase. These levels tend to stay elevated until menopause puts an end to a woman’s ability to carry a baby.
The longer someone was exposed to estrogen–the period between puberty and menopause–the lower the risk of certain strokes tended to be, according to this new study. This lowered risk was associated with the two most prevalent types of stroke: ischemic and intracerebral hemorrhage.
This study followed over 122,000 postmenopausal women in the country of China. The median age of participants was 58, and participants were followed for a course of about nine years. Prior to the beginning of the study, participants were asked questions about their age when menstruation began and ended. What they found was those that who had a reproductive span of 36 or more years were less likely to suffer from a stroke than those who had a reproductive span of 31 or fewer years. They were 5 percent less likely to suffer an ischemic stroke and 13 percent less likely to have an intracerebral hemorrhage.
Of course, a longer exposure to estrogen did not necessarily mean that a stroke would not happen. Other risk factors can also make someone at a higher risk. Working with a doctor can help you to identify these factors and potentially help you to take steps to avoid them and prevent a stroke.
The team, which was based out of the Zhejiang University School of Medicine, published their findings in the journal, Neurology. Hopefully this research will help doctors to better understand strokes, why they occur, and provide a better course of direction when it comes to prevention and treatment.
Regardless of the cause of the stroke, a stroke is a devastating life event. For many, it brings a lifetime of change and difficulty. What once was second nature needs to be relearned. This is a long and painful recovery process. While some are able to recover to a point where they can live on their own and do the things that they need to in order to stay healthy and safe, some people are not able to get to this point. A lot of people that suffer from a stroke end up needing to rely on senior care, either over the short or the long term.
We know that there are a lot of care options out there. We understand that this can be a stressful, overwhelming, and confusing times for families that are looking for answers. That’s why we try to make the search for the right type of senior care as easy as possible on our end. It’s exactly why we started our free consultation service.
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