15: Why Perimenopause Is a Critical Window for Cardiovascular Health with Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum

15: Why Perimenopause Is a Critical Window for Cardiovascular Health with Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum

August 4, 2026 · 1h 15m

About this episode

This episode discusses the critical impact of perimenopause on women's cardiovascular health with Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum.

When we talk about perimenopause, the conversation usually centers on hot flashes, irregular periods, poor sleep, brain fog, mood changes, and weight gain. The heart is rarely part of that conversation. But estrogen also affects the arteries, blood pressure, blood-vessel flexibility, and the endothelium, the thin lining inside the arteries. As hormones begin to shift, changes may already be happening in the cardiovascular system, even while women are being told their symptoms are stress, anxiety, aging, or "just menopause." In this episode of The Ovary Club, I sit down with preventive cardiologist Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum to talk about why perimenopause may be one of the most important windows for protecting long-term heart health. We get into what estrogen is actually doing for the heart, why women can still have cardiovascular disease developing even when standard testing looks normal, and which parts of a woman's history deserve a place in her cardiac risk assessment. Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum has spent nearly three decades changing the way women's heart health is understood and treated. She has served as Director of Women's Cardiovascular Prevention, Health and Wellness at Mount…

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Host: Alisa Vitti

Guest: Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum

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Organizations: Mount Sinai, Lenox Hill Hospital, Beth Israel Medical Center, Heart-Tech Health

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