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Transcript

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) & Heart Health · From Recovery to Wellness | Life After Heart Surgery, Aneurysm Repair & Cardiac Healing

• 0:07
  Hello, and welcome back to From Recovery to Wellness.
• 0:11
  I'm Arnita, your host, and I'm so glad you're
• 0:13
  here. This season, again, for those of you who
• 0:17
  are new to the podcast. As listeners, welcome.
• 0:22
  But this season, we're focusing on women's heart
• 0:25
  health, empowering women with practical information,
• 0:28
  encouragement, and wellness -focused tools to
• 0:31
  help protect and strengthen their hearts. We'll
• 0:33
  explore topics that affect women throughout every
• 0:36
  stage of life, including heart disease, risk
• 0:39
  factors, pregnancy and childbirth -related heart
• 0:41
  risk, menopause, stress, sleep. nutrition, physical
• 0:45
  activity, emotional well -being, and the unique
• 0:48
  ways heart disease can present in women. Whether
• 0:52
  you're managing risk factors, recovering from
• 0:54
  a cardiac event, supporting a loved one, or simply
• 0:58
  seeking to improve your heart health, this series
• 1:00
  is designed with you in mind. So today we're
• 1:04
  discussing hormone replacement therapy and heart
• 1:06
  health. So let's get started. Hormone replacement
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  therapy, often referred to as HRT, is one of
• 1:14
  the most complex and debated topics in women's
• 1:17
  healthcare. And part of the challenge is that
• 1:19
  there is no single answer that applies to every
• 1:22
  woman. To understand why HRT matters for heart
• 1:25
  health, we first need to understand what estrogen
• 1:29
  does in the cardiovascular system. Estrogen supports
• 1:34
  blood vessel flexibility. It helps regulate cholesterol
• 1:39
  levels. It plays a role in how inflammation is
• 1:44
  controlled in the body. So when estrogen levels
• 1:48
  begin to decline, whether through natural menopause
• 1:52
  or surgical changes, the cardiovascular system
• 1:56
  begins to shift as well. But here's where things
• 2:00
  become more nuanced. The effects of hormone therapy
• 2:05
  can depend on when it is started, the type of
• 2:09
  therapy used, and a woman's overall health profile.
• 2:14
  Some women may benefit from symptom relief and
• 2:17
  possible cardiovascular support when therapy
• 2:20
  is initiated closer to the menopausal transition.
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  For others, especially those with pre -existing
• 2:27
  risk factors, the decision becomes more carefully
• 2:31
  balanced. So what matters most is not making
• 2:35
  assumptions, but having individualized conversations
• 2:39
  with a provider who understands both hormonal
• 2:42
  and cardiovascular health. Because women deserve
• 2:46
  clarity, not confusion, when making decisions
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  about their bodies. Now, did you know research
• 2:55
  suggests that timing of hormone therapy initiation
• 2:58
  may influence cardiovascular outcomes? Now, what
• 3:03
  I have found is that with hormone replacement
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  therapy, which is given in one instance, I don't
• 3:15
  know all, but in one instance, when a woman has
• 3:19
  a hysterectomy, the risk factors are different,
• 3:25
  are increased if she gets a hysterectomy before
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  the age of 35. but they're different when she's
• 3:33
  closer to menopausal age. I don't know what that
• 3:38
  does or how it affects each woman, but the results
• 3:44
  are different. And as I had mentioned earlier
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  in this piece, and so that is something that
• 3:52
  really needs to be monitored if. you are on or
• 3:55
  if some woman is on a hormone replacement therapy,
• 4:00
  you know, just kind of checking, you know, when
• 4:02
  did she get, uh, uh, when did she have to start
• 4:06
  taking them? How long she's taking, uh, the hormone
• 4:09
  replacement therapy, all of those things. And
• 4:11
  then the best thing to do though is to, again,
• 4:15
  I can't say this enough is being advocate for
• 4:18
  yourself, pay attention to your body. It will
• 4:21
  speak to you. So now I have a question for you
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  to reflect on. And that is, when you think about
• 4:31
  your health journey, where have you learned to
• 4:34
  trust your body signals the most? And that's
• 4:36
  what I had just mentioned. You must pay attention
• 4:40
  to your body signals. And yes, and where have
• 4:44
  you learned to trust your body signals the most?
• 4:47
  And it doesn't only have to be with your... things
• 4:52
  that particularly pertain to us as females, but
• 4:57
  your body in general, because it all plays in
• 5:01
  together. Yeah, so each piece, each part of your
• 5:05
  body is a component of your whole body. And so
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  you want to be able to zoom in on, you know,
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  those signals. Now, did you know Research suggests
• 5:19
  that timing of hormone therapy initiation may
• 5:22
  influence cardiovascular outcomes. And when do
• 5:27
  you think about your health journey where you
• 5:33
  have learned to trust your body signals the most?
• 5:37
  That's something to ponder. And so until next
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  week, I just want to thank you for joining me
• 5:44
  for this season of Recovery. to wellness, and
• 5:47
  I'm honored to be a part of your wellness journey.
• 5:50
  I hope today's episode has provided information,
• 5:53
  encouragement, and practical steps you can use
• 5:56
  to support your health. So until next time, take
• 6:00
  care of your heart, take care of yourself, and
• 6:03
  remember, be well.