The risk of stroke increases with age, high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes. Factors increasing the risk of stroke are: smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, overweight and unhealthy diet. We mistakenly believe that women are less prone to stroke. It probably comes from how one or the other sex suffers from the loss of a mate. Women’s suffering at the loss of their beloved man can be heard, men, on the contrary, hide, do not express their pain. But it is a fact that gender is also a risk factor for stroke, and it affects the gentle half of humanity more. Stroke victims are more often women, they also more often die from this brain accident. According to Dr. Kathryn Rexrode of Brigham Women’s Health Hospital in the US, whose team is investigating the reasons for these statistics, identifies several signs that women should look out for as risk factors for stroke susceptibility: NEWS_MORE_BOX First period before age 10 ; Menopause before the age of 45; Low levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA); Taking oral contraceptive pills (with estrogen or combined; according to the researchers, it is better to use contraceptive pills based on progesterone or transdermal estrogen); Gestational diabetes that occurred during pregnancy; Hypertension during pregnancy or after childbirth; Preeclampsia. Women with high blood pressure should pay particular attention to their habits, as their risk of stroke is the highest. Adopting a healthier lifestyle equates to years of life.