Hormonal History may Help Assess Heart Risk in Women

Key Developments:

• Cardiologists are emphasizing that hormonal history can help assess cardiovascular risk and guide imaging decisions in women across different stages of life.
• A September 8 study found that menopausal hormone therapy was associated with a 22% lower estimated cardiovascular risk in certain midlife women, but researchers cautioned that the findings do not support using hormone therapy specifically to prevent cardiovascular disease.

(Cardiovascular Business) — September 10, 2026: Women’s hormonal history may provide important information when doctors assess cardiovascular risk, according to cardiologist and multimodality cardiac imager Ady Orbach, MD, MSc, who discussed the issue during SCCT2026.

Orbach emphasized that cardiovascular risk can change during different stages of a woman’s life, including pregnancy, menopause and periods when hormonal therapies are used. She argued that these factors should be considered alongside conventional cardiovascular risk assessments rather than treated as background medical information.

Asim Iftikhar Appointed as Pakistan’s New Foreign Secretary

Security Forces Kill 11 India-Sponsored Terrorists in Balochistan Operations: ISPR

Brent Crude Rises Above $100 a Barrel as Middle East Conflict Escalates

“It is a big sex difference between men and women,” Orbach said, highlighting differences in how coronary artery disease can develop and present in women.

She added: “We know that having atherosclerosis plaque in women actually increases the risk for cardiovascular outcomes twice as much compared to men.”

Women’s cardiovascular risk assessment combines traditional factors with pregnancy history, menopause, family history, symptoms, and objective testing. CREDIT: Ulta Lab Tests.

According to Orbach, women may have less overall coronary plaque than men but can experience a different pattern of disease, including a greater likelihood of softer, noncalcified plaque. These differences can complicate cardiovascular assessment when imaging is focused primarily on the amount of calcified plaque.

The way cardiovascular disease presents can also make diagnosis more difficult. Women may not always experience the classic symptoms associated with coronary disease, meaning clinicians need to consider a broader range of possible presentations when evaluating symptoms such as chest pain.

Lahore Gymkhana Reportedly Moves Liquor Stock Amid Fear of Excise Department Raid

King Charles reaffirms Harry, Meghan remain non-working Royals

UK, France, Canada Target Israeli Settlement Goods

Orbach particularly highlighted cases involving chest pain and elevated cardiac enzymes despite an absence of an obvious major coronary blockage. Conditions including coronary vasospasm and spontaneous coronary artery dissection, or SCAD, can be relevant in such patients.

CREDIT: Everyday Health.

SCAD is of particular concern in younger women, she noted. The condition involves a tear or disruption within the coronary artery wall and can cause symptoms resembling an acute coronary syndrome.

Pregnancy and the period immediately following childbirth represent another stage requiring attention to cardiovascular symptoms. Orbach said clinicians should maintain a high level of suspicion for SCAD when women experience chest pain during this period.

She also stressed that clinically necessary cardiac imaging should not automatically be ruled out because a patient is pregnant or breastfeeding. Decisions about imaging should instead be based on the clinical circumstances and the benefits and risks involved.

Pakistan’s New Short-Range Air Defense Shield

Mubasher Lucman Drags Mehmood Bhatti in Courts

Rare DC-8 Freighter Runs Off Runway During Landing in Kinshasa

Hormonal history can include information about menopause, early menopause, contraceptive use and hormone replacement therapy. Orbach also said clinicians should document gender-affirming hormone therapy when relevant to a patient’s cardiovascular assessment.

The history may also influence the type of cardiac imaging considered. For some women receiving hormone replacement therapy, Orbach suggested coronary CT angiography may provide information that a coronary artery calcium score alone cannot capture, particularly when noncalcified plaque is a concern.

CREDIT: Natural Library of Medicine.

The discussion comes amid renewed research into the relationship between menopausal hormone therapy and cardiovascular health. A study published online by JAMA Internal Medicine on September 8, 2026, examined data from 2,737 women participating in the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation. Researchers estimated that women who initiated menopausal hormone therapy during perimenopause or shortly after menopause had a 22% lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared with non-users in the study population.

However, the researchers cautioned against interpreting those findings as evidence that hormone therapy should be prescribed to prevent cardiovascular disease. They noted the possibility of residual confounding and emphasized that the overall benefits and risks of menopausal hormone therapy must be considered.

Former BBC Reporter Huda Zariwala Arrested in Saharanpur Over Remarks on Mosque Demolition

Two Detained at Modi’s Mumbai Event Venue; One Had a Gun, Posed as PMO Official

Petrol Price Increased by Rs12.90 Per Litre, Diesel by Rs3.72

The findings add to ongoing scientific interest in how the timing of hormone exposure may affect cardiovascular health. The Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography has also highlighted research examining coronary plaque in postmenopausal women receiving hormone replacement therapy, including work using coronary CT angiography to investigate plaque characteristics.

Broader cardiovascular guidance also recognizes that sex-specific factors, hormonal changes, pregnancy-related conditions and menopause can influence cardiovascular risk. A 2026 European Society of Cardiology scientific statement similarly identifies hormonal changes and hormone treatments among factors that can contribute to differences in cardiovascular disease between women and men.

Menopause and risk of CVD. ↑: increase; CVD: cardiovascular disease. CREDIT: MDPI.

The emerging evidence does not mean hormonal status replaces established cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, smoking and family history. Rather, the evidence suggests that reproductive and hormonal history can provide additional clinical context when assessing cardiovascular health.

For cardiac specialists, the broader message is that women’s cardiovascular risk should be evaluated across the different stages of life. Considering hormonal history alongside symptoms, conventional risk factors and appropriate imaging may help clinicians develop a more complete picture of cardiovascular disease in female patients.

Engine issue forces Malaysia Airlines flight to make emergency landing in Chennai

Pakistan captain Fatima Sana fined 10% of match fee by ICC for Code of Conduct breach vs India

India Tightens Security Checks on Military Drones Over Chinese Components Concerns

Gujrat’s Urban Flooding: A Crisis Beyond One Administrator

SEASPARK-2026: Pakistan Navy’s Emerging Multi-Domain Maritime Power

Mahmood Bhatti and YouTube hosts ordered to submit surety bonds of Rs 3 million each

India, Bangladesh Overtake Pakistan in Per Capita Income After 26 Years

Stay tuned to Baaghi TV for more. Download our app for the latest news, updates & uncensored content!