A certified menopause coach and Founder of Menopause Support Initiative, Pharm. Mosunmola Dosunmu has stated that women approaching menopause are at increased risk of developing high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke due to hormonal changes associated with the condition.
Dosunmu, who is also the General Secretary of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, said many women often overlook symptoms such as weight gain, fatigue, poor sleep, headaches, and anxiety without realising they may be linked to rising blood pressure during menopause.
She stated that menopause and hypertension are closely connected because estrogen, the hormone that helps protect the heart and blood vessels, is reduced significantly during menopause.
“As women approach menopause, many begin to notice weight gain, fatigue, poor sleep, headaches, anxiety, and rising blood pressure. What many do not realise is that menopause and hypertension are closely connected,” she stated.
The menopause coach explained that lower estrogen levels could make blood vessels stiffer and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
“Estrogen, the hormone that helps protect the heart, reduces significantly during menopause. Low estrogen can make blood vessels become stiffer, increase ‘bad’ cholesterol (LDL), and raise the risk of hypertension, heart disease, and stroke,” Dosunmu noted.
She advised women to regularly monitor their blood pressure and embrace healthy lifestyle habits to reduce the risk of hypertension and other heart-related complications.
Dosunmu recommended reducing excess salt and processed foods while increasing the intake of fruits, vegetables, fish, oats and nuts.
She also encouraged women to engage in at least 30 minutes of daily exercise, maintain good sleep habits, manage stress, and stay hydrated.
The expert further advised women to maintain a healthy weight and avoid smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.
She cautioned women not to ignore symptoms such as dizziness, palpitations and persistent headaches, stressing that early attention to such symptoms could prevent complications.
“Small daily lifestyle changes can make a big difference,” she added.
PUNCH Healthwise recently reported the concern of the Nigerian Hypertension Society over the growing burden of hypertension in the country, stating that one in every three adults in the country is living with the condition, while fewer than one in five patients achieve proper blood pressure control.
The NHS president, Prof Simeon Isezuo, described hypertension as the leading preventable cause of death and disability in Nigeria and globally, warning that the disease continues to claim lives silently because many patients remain unaware of their condition until severe complications occur.
“Hypertension remains one of the greatest public health challenges of our time. Sadly, many Nigerians do not know they are hypertensive until they suffer complications such as stroke, kidney failure, or heart disease,” Isezuo said.
He identified low awareness, late diagnosis, poverty, poor medication adherence, weak primary healthcare systems, and unhealthy lifestyles—including excessive salt intake, physical inactivity and stress—as major factors worsening the hypertension crisis in Nigeria.
Isezuo further noted that the country’s current economic challenges have increased the cost of medicines, transportation to hospitals, and healthy foods, forcing many patients to either skip medications, reduce dosages or abandon treatment completely.
The NHS president called for subsidised essential drugs and expanded health insurance coverage to improve access to treatment.
Credit: PUNCH Healthwise
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