StrokeHeart healthWomen's health

7 stroke risk factors women should know

Roughly 55,000 more women than men have strokes each year. Learn the reasons why—and what you can do to reduce your risk.


LearnHeartStroke7 stroke risk factors women should know
Hypertension
Birth control pills
Pregnancy and Preeclampsia
Menopausal hormone therapy
Soda
Migraine with aura
Atrial fibrillation

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Not only do women have a higher lifetime risk of stroke, but more women die from strokes each year than men. And while risk factors such as smoking, diabetes, and obesity don’t discriminate between age or sex, some lesser-known risks may be more likely to affect women. Find out your stroke risk as well as ways to reduce your chance of stroke.

Sources: Abramson, Beth L., MD, FACC, et al. Wome... + 26
  1. Abramson, Beth L., MD, FACC, et al. Women and Hypertension: Beyond the 2017 Guideline for Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults. American College of Cardiology. July 27, 2018.
  2. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Hormone Therapy for Menopause. Last reviewed: August 2022.
  3. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Progestin-Only Hormonal Birth Control: Pill and Injection. Last updated: January 2023.
  4. American Heart Association. Go Red For Women. Women and Risk of Stroke Infographic. 2023.
  5. American Heart Association. Go Red For Women. Pregnancy and Stroke. Last Reviewed: February 23, 2021.
  6. American Society of Hematology. Blood Clotting Risk Quickly Drops After Stopping Hormonal Contraceptives. November 8, 2023.
  7. American Stroke Association. Women Have a Higher Risk of Stroke. Page last reviewed December 5, 2018.
  8. Bernstein AM, de Koning L, Flint AJ, Rexrode KM, Willett WC. Soda consumption and the risk of stroke in men and women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012;95(5):1190-1199.
  9. Bushnell CD, Kapral MK. Stroke in Women and Unique Risk Factors. Stroke. 2023;54(2):587-590.
  10. Carlton C, Banks M, Sundararajan S. Oral contraceptives and ischemic stroke risk. Stroke. 2018;49(4):e157-e159.
  11. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Facts About Hypertension. Page last reviewed: September 8, 2020.
  12. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP). Heart Disease and Stroke. Page last reviewed: September 8, 2022.
  13. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Women and Stroke. Page last reviewed August 5, 2020.
  14. Cleveland Clinic. What To Know About Birth Control and Blood Clots. April 25, 2022.
  15. Coylewright M, Reckelhoff JF, Ouyang P. Menopause and hypertension: an age-old debate. Hypertension. 2008;51(4):952-959.
  16. Henry Ford Health. AFib Looks Different In Women: What You Should Know. September 3, 2020.
  17. Ko D, Rahman F, Schnabel RB, Yin X, Benjamin EJ, Christophersen IE. Atrial fibrillation in women: epidemiology, pathophysiology, presentation, and prognosis. Nat Rev Cardiol. 2016;13(6):321-332.
  18. Kostopoulou A, Zeljko HM, Bogossian H, et al. Atrial fibrillation-related stroke in women: Evidence and inequalities in epidemiology, mechanisms, clinical presentation, and management. Clin Cardiol. 2020;43(1):14-23.
  19. Løkkegaard E, Nielsen LH, Keiding N. Risk of Stroke With Various Types of Menopausal Hormone Therapies: A National Cohort Study [published correction appears in Stroke. 2018 Mar;49(3):e142]. Stroke. 2017;48(8):2266-2269.
  20. Miller EC, Boehme AK, Chung NT, et al. Aspirin reduces long-term stroke risk in women with prior hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Neurology. 2019;92(4):e305-e316.
  21. Mossavar-Rahmani Y, Kamensky V, Manson JE, et al. Artificially Sweetened Beverages and Stroke, Coronary Heart Disease, and All-Cause Mortality in the Women's Health Initiative [published correction appears in Stroke. 2019 Jun;50(6):e176]. Stroke. 2019;50(3):555-562.
  22. Mukherjee, Debabrata, MD, FACC. Oral Contraceptives and Ischemic Stroke Risk. American College of Cardiology. March 28, 2018.
  23. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Stroke During Pregnancy. Last updated on May 26, 2023.
  24. Pothineni NV, Division of Cardiology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR. Gender and AF: differences and disparities. US Cardiology Review. 2018;12(2):103.
  25. Rexrode KM, Madsen TE, Yu AYX, Carcel C, Lichtman JH, Miller EC. The Impact of Sex and Gender on Stroke. Circ Res. 2022;130(4):512-528.
  26. Siddiqi HK, Vinayagamoorthy M, Gencer B, et al. Sex Differences in Atrial Fibrillation Risk: The VITAL Rhythm Study [published correction appears in JAMA Cardiol. 2022 Oct 1;7(10):1082]. JAMA Cardiol. 2022;7(10):1027-1035.
  27. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Final Recommendation Statement. Aspirin Use to Prevent Preeclampsia and Related Morbidity and Mortality: Preventive Medication. September 28, 2021.
Written by Michael Gollust.
Medically reviewed by Ann Wendling, MD, MPH.January, 2024
Updated onSeptember, 2026
Written by Michael Gollust.
Medically reviewed by Ann Wendling, MD, MPH.January, 2024
Updated onSeptember, 2026
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