Women and high blood pressure

Return to Index Step 1: What is Blood Pressure?Step 2: Take High Blood Pressure Seriously Step 3: What Causes High Blood Pressure?Step 4: Who Gets High Blood Pressure?Step 5: High Blood Pressure is "Silent"Step 6: Diagnosing High Blood Pressure Step 7: Follow-up Office Visits Step 8: Treatment Overview Step 9: Maintain Healthy Habits Step 10: Drug Therapy Step 11: Monitor Your Blood Pressure at Home Step 12: You and Your Doctor are a Team Key Points Glossary

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Several factors may increase the likelihood of a woman having high blood pressure. A woman is at higher risk if she is:

Overweight
African-American
Past menopause
Over 65 -- half of senior women have high blood pressure
Taking hormone replacement therapy -- for most women taking estrogen for menopause, blood pressure does not rise, but for a few it does. (The doctor will monitor the blood pressure of a woman taking hormones, particularly in the beginning.)
Taking birth control pills -- especially if she is overweight, over 35 years old, has a family history of high blood pressure, smokes, or had high blood pressure during pregnancy.
Pregnancy -- some women develop high blood pressure while pregnant and need to be closely monitored until delivery. High blood pressure can pose health risks to both the mother and baby, especially if a condition called preeclampsia develops.

Review Date: 6/8/2011
Reviewed By: Steven Kang, MD, Division of Cardiac Pacing and Electrophysiology, East Bay Arrhythmia, Cardiovascular Consultants Medical Group, Oakland, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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