I AM YOU - Ep 45 - The Silent Stroke: When Your Hormones Become the Warning

I AM YOU is hosted by Nitza I. Alvarez, MD, FACC — board-certified cardiologist, Women’s Heart Specialist, and bestselling author. Each episode shares real stories and expert insights that help women understand their unique heart health, manage stress, protect their brains, and take charge of their well-being. Dr. Alvarez’s mission is simple: to inspire every woman to become the CEO of her own health — with knowledge, confidence, and community.

In this episode, Dr. Alvarez introduces Elena — a 40-year-old teacher and mother of two who brushed off subtle neurological symptoms… until she was rushed to the ER with a stroke. Her story isn’t rare — and it’s happening to younger women every year.

With clarity and compassion, Dr. Alvarez explains:

• Why stroke is not just a disease of the elderly
• The two types of stroke — and why ischemic strokes make up 90% of cases
• How perimenopause and hormonal shifts quietly change brain circulation
• The 20% drop in cerebral blood flow during menopause — years before symptoms appear
• The two groups of women at twice the risk — and why they must act early
• The traditional and non-traditional risk factors every woman should screen for
• How stress is sometimes not “just stress”… but your brain whispering for help

This episode is a wake-up call — a reminder that symptoms don’t always scream. Sometimes, they whisper. And understanding those whispers might be the difference between recovery… and disability.

Above all, this is a call for every woman to become the CEO of her own health — protecting both her heart and her brain with science, self-awareness, and early action.

Don’t miss Part 2, where Dr. Alvarez dives into the tests, myths, and essential evaluations every woman should know if stroke — or mini-stroke — is ever suspected.

Listen in. Share it. And help change how women experience heart and brain health.

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