The Pill may keep heart trouble at bay

The Pill may keep heart trouble at bay

Women who want to have a healthy heart post-middle age should take birth control medication in the lead up to their menopause according to a recent study. Those averse to the Pill could alternatively start an early regimen of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). These were the conclusions of a recent American study on how hormone levels affected health.

According to findings of the study, higher oestrogen levels in pre-menopausal women offered protection against heart disease and contraceptive pills or HRT could thus be used as a preventive healthcare measure.

Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center based researcher Professor Jay Kaplan, PhD, speaking at the annual meeting of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists in Boston said, “Research in animals suggests that the five years before menopause are when bone is lost and when heart vessel disease begins to accelerate.”

Perimenopause, the five to ten years period prior to the onset of menopause, has been identified as the 'make or break time' in every woman's life as regards prevention of heart disease and osteoporosis.

The research done on female monkeys in the perimenopausal period led the scientist to conclude that a lack of oestrogen in women during the pre-menopausal years may make them more vulnerable to heart disease later in life. The researchers observed that treating the test subjects with oestrogen much before menopause helped slow the growth of fatty deposits in the arteries. Dr Kaplan, who's an expert in comparative medicine, felt, “…waiting until menopause is not the time to start thinking about prevention.”

Dr Kaplan's research also showed that stress in younger women was deleterious for oestrogen levels and hindered ovulation, making them prone to heart trouble later.

On the flip side, a number of studies including one by the Amer. Health Initiative have shown that excessive levels of oestrogen and progesterone increase the risk of breast cancer, heart attack and stroke among older women.

Prof Kaplan, however, remains firm in his belief about the beneficial effects of oestrogen supplements for pre-menopausal women and said some American physicians have recommended that women use the oral contraceptive pill all the way till menopause and then switch over to HRT.