
FRIDAY, Oct. 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- The risk of having heart disease grows as a woman ages, so women need to be familiar with their heart disease risk factors, the American Heart Association (AHA) says.Menopause factors into this risk in several different ways, with age, estrogen, symptoms and other body changes also playing a role.Women who reach menopause at younger ages -- before 45 -- have a significantly higher risk of heart disease, according to the AHA. When a woman has had surgical removal of her ovaries, forcing menopause early, she can also have a higher risk of heart disease.However, the same surgery around the age of natural menopause does not raise risk, the AHA said. A hysterectomy, where the uterus is removed, also doesn't appear to influence cardiovascular risk...