Menopause Chicks

It's About Women's Heart Health with Dr. Alex Verge

Episode Summary

Today, Dr. Alex Verge joins me for an important conversation about women’s heart health. Dr. Alex is a naturopathic doctor based in Guelph, Ontario who is passionate about elevating the women’s heart health conversation. The data tells us that every 22 minutes, a woman dies of heart disease in Canada, and the hard truth is that much of this is preventable. Many of us have at least one risk factor for heart disease–including the decline of estrogen that occurs postmenopause, so we simply can not talk about menopause without talking about women’s heart health. Dr. Alex is here to ignite more curiosity about women’s heart health, and give us the much-needed reminder, that when it comes to cardiovascular health, we need to know our numbers, and to discuss those numbers with our health team.

Episode Notes

Do you know your numbers?

What we discussed:

Why women shouldn’t assume that everything they’re experiencing as they are getting older is related to aging or hormone changes
Why Dr. Alex recommends having conversations about your family history and personal health history early–even before perimenopause and definitely before postmenopause
The importance of understanding the definition of heart disease risk factors vs. heart disease
Why women who reach menopause prematurely should discuss proactive changes regarding heart health with their doctor
Why we need to change the conversation and teach women’s heart health proactively with more emphasis on prevention
The two main health markers to monitor in order to understand our heart health
Dr. Alex’s advice on when you should get a blood pressure monitor to use at home and how often you should use it
What steps women can take if their cholesterol and blood pressure numbers are a concern,, and why Dr. Alex says that the best treatment is a good diagnosis
Why eating well and exercising regularly doesn’t give you a “get-out-of-jail-free card” when it comes to your cardiovascular health, and what the American Heart Association’s “Essential Eight” can teach us about that
This year cardiovascular health is the theme for World Menopause Day (October 18, 2023) Dr. Alex shares what she'd like us to know and what she would like to see happen in the media to draw attention to women’s heart health

Links from this week’s episode:

Follow Dr. Alex on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexvergend/

BIG thanks to the following for sharing my passion for women’s health:

VICHY

Ferapro Iron

Feel Amazing Vulva & Vaginal Moisturizer

Intimate Wellbeing

Oh Boy Productions