Calcium replacement is often recommended by doctors as women age. But most calcium replacements are poorly utilized by the bones. High calcium replacement, calcium in the diet and increased bone loss calcium are major contributors to accelerated calcified plaque in the heart. Healthcare spending on bone and joint problems is very high in women compared to men. Women live a long time with the complications of bone loss, whereas most women do not develop heart disease until they are older. Men live many years with heart disease because they may have a heart attack before age 50. Management of menopause, screening for osteoporosis, and the proper calcium treatments are critical to prevent bone and joint problems AND protect from heart disease.  

Since the Women’s Health Initiative was stopped in 2002, there has been a black box warning on estrogen replacement for the risk of heart attacks and strokes. But did you know that when started early, estrogen replacement is protective for heart disease in most women? The risks of estrogen are related to blood clotting in women with existing vascular disease, but started early in otherwise healthy women, before the vessels become abnormal, estrogen has been shown to lower heart attacks. In fact, there are studies designed to measure the effectiveness of estrogen compared to statins for the reduction in heart disease risk! 

Statin use may have significantly less value in women compared to men. Studies show less benefits and higher side effects in women. In 2012 statins were labeled with a new warning about the risk of causing high blood sugar and diabetes. Only smoking is a worse risk than diabetes for heart disease. Not every woman with high cholesterol is at risk for premature heart disease.   Not every woman with high cholesterol is at risk for premature heart disease. 

Routine statin use, avoiding estrogen, and recommending the wrong calcium, may cause more problems in women despite the well-meaning advice of most general physicians. 

I encourage  you to choose a specialist in women’s health who understands these unique differences and who can recommend the best individual treatment for you. Do not accept cookie cutter general guidelines for your health! I take the time to focus on the whole woman so I can understand your goals and assess your health risks. Then I offer you a balanced and safe approach to: 

• Hormone management 
• Weight guidelines 
• Cholesterol management 
• Bone and joint risks 
• Heart disease risks