• Researchers investigated the effects of lifetime estrogen exposure on stroke risk.
• They found that higher levels of lifetime estrogen exposure in women were associated with a lower risk of stroke.
• Further research is needed to understand how higher estrogen exposure confers protection from stroke.

A stroke occurs when blood is blocked from reaching the brain or a blood vessel in the brain bursts.

Stroke is the second-leading cause of death around the world, and its incidence increased substantially between 1990 and 2019 globally, including a 70%Trusted Source increase in the number of incident, or first-ever, strokes.

Some studies suggest that higher estrogen levels may protectTrusted Source against stroke. Research shows, for example, that young womenTrusted Source have a lower stroke risk than men, and that this risk increasesTrusted Source after menopause, when estrogen production reduces.