15: Why Perimenopause Is a Critical Window for Cardiovascular Health with Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum

When we talk about perimenopause, the conversation usually centers on hot flashes, irregular periods, poor sleep, brain fog, mood changes, and weight gain. The heart is rarely part of that conversation. But estrogen also affects the arteries, blood pressure, blood-vessel flexibility, and the endothelium, the thin lining inside the arteries. As hormones begin to shift, changes may already be happening in the cardiovascular system, even while women are being told their symptoms are stress, anxiety, aging, or "just menopause." In this episode of The Ovary Club, I sit down with preventive cardiologist Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum to talk about why perimenopause may be one of the most important windows for protecting long-term heart health. We get into what estrogen is actually doing for the heart, why women can still have cardiovascular disease developing even when standard testing looks normal, and which parts of a woman's history deserve a place in her cardiac risk assessment. Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum has spent nearly three decades changing the way women's heart health is understood and treated. She has served as Director of Women's Cardiovascular Prevention, Health and Wellness at Mount Sinai, Director of Women and Heart Disease at Lenox Hill Hospital, and Director of the Center for Cardiac and Pulmonary Health at Beth Israel Medical Center. She is also the founder of Heart-Tech Health, whose signature program, Adesso, gives women access to cardiovascular prevention designed around female biology. Want to go deeper with this episode? Insiders get to submit questions and receive monthly Q&As directly from Alisa. Join here: alisavitti.kit.com/products/the-ovary-club   What's Discussed (00:17) Why women are still being missed in heart-disease research, diagnosis, and care. (12:34) What begins to change in the arteries during perimenopause. (18:10) What estrogen does for cardiovascular health and why hot flashes may carry more information than women realize. (21:01) How chronic stress, pregnancy complications, depression, and emotional history can affect future heart risk. (29:34) The symptoms women may mistake for hormones, anxiety, stress, or aging. (39:01) Why a normal cardiac workup may not always show the full picture. (47:21) The testing, movement, nutrition, and prevention strategies that can help women act earlier. Thank You to Our Sponsors:  MyFLOⓇ App: Download the MyFLOⓇ App at floliving.com/pages/app and use the code FREEMONTH   Ovary Club Insiders: Ovary Club: Join us at alisavitti.kit.com/products/the-ovary-club    Learn more about Alisa Vitti:  Instagram: @alisa.vitti  Website: alisavitti.kit.com/    Learn more about Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum:  LinkedIn: @drsuzannesteinbaum  Instagram: @drsteinbaum  Website: drsuzannesteinbaum.com Adesso Health: adesso.health Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum's Heart Book: Every Woman's Guide to a Heart-Healthy Life: a.co/d/006QRNln