Aortic Structure, Not Menopause, May Drive Midlife Pulse Pressure Rise in Women

Source Summary

New research published in Hypertension challenges the conventional understanding that menopause drives increased aortic stiffness in women after midlife. The study suggests that aortic structure itself may be the primary factor responsible for the rise in pulse pressure and aortic stiffness observed in midlife women.

Why it matters

This finding may redirect clinical understanding of cardiovascular risk factors in midlife women away from hormone-focused explanations toward structural vascular factors.