--- title: American Heart Association Notes Women's Stroke Risk Factors description: Hormonal changes caused by pregnancy or birth control are factors in the third leading cause of death for females, the American Heart Association reports canonical: https://time.com/5371/stroke-prevention-guidelines-identify-risks-for-women/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-02-07T16:21:40.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T06:19:55.098Z article:section: Health og:title: American Heart Association Notes Women's Stroke Risk Factors og:description: Hormonal changes caused by pregnancy or birth control are factors in the third leading cause of death for females, the American Heart Association reports og:url: https://time.com/5371/stroke-prevention-guidelines-identify-risks-for-women/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb5c2e339b7fa39ed/6986820155a859239ba7f560/woman-heart-meditating.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1500 og:image:height: 844 og:image:alt: Strokes are the third leading cause of death for women in the U.S. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: American Heart Association Notes Women's Stroke Risk Factors twitter:description: Hormonal changes caused by pregnancy or birth control are factors in the third leading cause of death for females, the American Heart Association reports twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb5c2e339b7fa39ed/6986820155a859239ba7f560/woman-heart-meditating.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # First Stroke Guidelines for Women Created > Sponsored content. 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There is no cost and no subscription requirement. by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Feb 7, 2014 4:21 PM UTC  Strokes are the third leading cause of death for women in the U.S. Strokes are the third leading cause of death for women in the U.S. Jaime Monfort—Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Feb 7, 2014 4:21 PM UTC The American Heart Association outlined Thursday its first ever [guidelines](http://newsroom.heart.org/news/new-guidelines-for-reducing-stroke-risks-unique-to-women) for primary care provider sand OBGYNs developed specifically to prevent women’s strokes, the third leading cause of death for U.S. women, and the fifth leading cause for men. Stroke risk factors for both men and women include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking, but certain hormonal changes can reportedly increase a woman’s risk. “If you are a woman…your risk is also influenced by hormones, reproductive health, pregnancy, childbirth and other sex-related factors,” said Cheryl Bushnell, M.D., M.H.S., author of the new scientific statement published in the American Heart Association journal _Stroke_. According to the [guidelines](http://newsroom.heart.org/news/new-guidelines-for-reducing-stroke-risks-unique-to-women), women with a history of high blood pressure before pregnancy are at risk for preeclampsia, a blood pressure disorder that occurs during pregnancy. Preeclampsia doubles the risk for stroke and increases the risk for high blood pressure four-fold, according to the guidelines. The combination of high blood pressure and birth control use can also raise a woman’s risk for stroke. 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