Strokes explained

Pregnancy increases the risk of stroke as much as three to 13 times. However, since the risk of stroke in women of childbearing age is very small to begin with, a moderate increase in risk during pregnancy is still a relatively small risk. Pregnancy and childbirth cause strokes in approximately eight in 100,000 women, but 25 per cent of those strokes end in death.

Some studies indicate that menopause can increase a woman's risk of stroke. However, hormone replacement therapy may reduce some of the effects of menopause and decrease stroke risk. Oestrogen's benefit in stroke prevention, as in prevention of heart disease, may stem from its role in cholesterol control.