I AM YOU is hosted by Nitza I. Alvarez, MD, FACC — board-certified cardiologist, Women’s Heart Specialist, and bestselling author. Each episode blends real women’s stories with powerful science to help women understand their bodies, manage stress, and become the CEO of their own health.

In this episode, Dr. Alvarez reveals how falling estrogen levels change the inner lining of a woman’s arteries — making vessels stiffer, inflammation higher, and stroke risk more likely around perimenopause and menopause. She explains why a woman with new headaches, dizziness, or sudden weakness can be dismissed as “just stressed,” and why up to 80% of strokes are preventable with the right testing and lifestyle habits.

You will learn:

• Why women experience strokes earlier than expected
• How hormone shifts affect brain blood flow and cognitive clarity
• The myths that keep women from recognizing early warning signs
• The essential diagnostic studies every woman should request after a confirmed stroke (TEE, rhythm monitoring, vascular imaging, and more)
• The role of sleep, movement, nutrition, and hormone evaluation in lifelong prevention

This episode is a compassionate reminder that women deserve answers, not dismissal — and that prevention is not fear, but power. Knowing your numbers, honoring your symptoms, and asking for complete evaluation can save your life or the life of someone you love.

Because the best stroke is the one that never happens — and every woman deserves to step into her role as the CEO of her own health.

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