United Lutheran Church

“The Lord is my strength and shield.  I trust him with all my heart.  He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.”  Psalm 28:7

Women need to be specifically concerned about two risk factors.  Depression is twice as common in women and doubles or triples the risk of heart disease over women without depression.  The feelings of disinterest and hopelessness make living a healthy lifestyle difficult, especially when trying to remedy any weight gain.  Menopause is the other risk factor because of the changes in hormone levels. Studies have shown that a decrease in estrogen may contribute to higher risk of heart attack but hormone replacement is not unconditionally recommended.  Rather, lifestyle changes are encouraged to minimize the impact of menopause and decrease the risk of heart attack.