Is Hormone Replacement Therapy for Menopause *Also* Good for Your Heart? It Could Come Down to Timing

Like many decisions regarding your health, the decision to start hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for menopause is a very personal one. And likely one that’s not easy to make. Personally, I debated back and forth for a while about whether or not I wanted to try out HRT, and turned to menopause support groups on social media for advice.

These groups are chockfull of information on the pros and cons of HRT, and I found solace in relating to other women making the same decision. The hottest of topics, though? Whether taking estrogen protects against cardiovascular disease (i.e., diseases of the heart and blood vessels).

There’s good reason for this interest: Hundreds of thousands of women in the U.S. die from cardiovascular disease each year, and this mortality risk only increases as you age, per the American Heart Association (AHA).

When I finally went to my doctor to learn more about HRT, she informed me that supplemental estrogen may actually help protect my heart and blood vessels from disease. This fact played a huge part in my deciding to start the therapy.

What she didn’t tell me—and I didn’t know, despite being a health writer—is there’s a metaphorical ‘ticking clock’ when it comes to HRT, meaning you may have to start taking it at a particular time in order to reap its cardioprotective benefits.

Here, learn more about the link between HRT and heart disease, the best time to start HRT for heart health, and how long HRT can be taken for without incurring any potential side effects or risks.

The Estrogen-Heart Connection

In order to know the best time to take HRT, it helps to know how exactly estrogen and the heart are connected.

Cardiovascular disease—diseases of the heart and blood vessels caused by plaque buildup in the arteries—is the number one cause of death in the U.S. for both men and women, per the AHA. That said, women tend to d