[Hypertension in women (contraception and menopause]

There are three circumstances where hypertension develops specifically in women: oral contraception, pregnancy, and menopause. Oral contraception usually shifts the blood pressure moderately upwards, but hypertension appears in less than 5% of women. Still it may (rarely) be very severe. Hypertension is poorly related to the dosage of the estrogenic compound, but rather to the nature and dosage of the progestive part. This hypertension does not significantly increase the cardiovascular risk of these women. The role of menopause itself in the trigging of hypertension remains uncertain. It seems however that confounding factors such as age, body weight, sodium balance and so on explain the increased incidence of hypertension after menopause. The latter is also associated with an increase of cardiovascular risk, which requires adequate treatment. Hormone replacement therapy is not contra-indicated, even in hypertensive patients.