The American Stroke Association, part of the American Heart Association, updated its Guideline for the Prevention of Primary Stroke for the first time in a decade. Published today in the journal Stroke, the new guidelines outline sex-specific factors including pregnancy, hormonal contraception, menopause, and endometriosis.
Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke, according to the Centers for Disease Control. This event, in which something blocks blood flow to the brain or a blood vessel in the brain bursts, can happen at any age. In the past, the risk factors associated with a high chance of having a stroke were limited to increased age as well as obesity, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Now, researchers are finally taking into account recent studies on the specific risk factors for women and those assigned female at birth.
