From Fortune:

Women’s bodies go through many changes in menopause and the years leading up to it, known as perimenopause. This natural step in the aging process marks the end of the reproductive years. In that time, a woman’s ovaries stop producing eggs and there’s a decline in female sex hormones, estrogen, and progesterone.

While this change is a perfectly normal part of aging, the loss of these hormones can have a systemic impact on health, especially cardiovascular health. Estrogen has a protective benefit to the heart and loss of it can impact some of the specific risk factors for heart health, which include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and weight gain.