At 120/80 mmHg, good blood pressure for women is similar to that of men. The top number is the systolic pressure while the number at the bottom of the fraction is the diastolic. The systolic pressure is the pressure of the blood as a result of the contraction of the heart whereas the diastolic is the pressure when the heart ventricles are at rest.
What is a normal BP for women?
Age and BP are linked since the elasticity of the blood vessels predict the pressure itself, that is, when a woman grows old, she can experience higher BP, but it can be considered still normal BP.
Depending on age, the following are the average BP levels:
| Age : | Systolic/Diastolic numbers |
| 10 years+ | 102/62 |
| 14 years+ | 120/80 |
| 18 years+ (adult) | 120/80 |
| 40-50 years+ (elderly) | Diastolic BP may increase to 100, but still considered normal. |
However, the term “normal” or average blood pressure depends on the physiologic conditions of the individual, such as menopause, menstrual cycle, or eclampsia/preeclampsia in pregnancy. The following are the average BP based on physiologic factors:
According to one study, postmenopausal women are more likely to have increased BP by as much as 5 mmHg due to a significant natural drop in estrogen and progesterone levels.
Pre-menopausal women have a significantly lower BP than men because these hormones regulate their BP. Female having a premenopausal BP of 120/90 mmHg may have a 130/95 mm Hg reading during menopause. Having a normal BP during the early adulthood phase may contribute to good blood pressure chart for women after menopause.
An increase in blood pressure during pregnancy can be caused by a condition called preeclampsia, which usually occurs during the 20th week of gestation and lasts until 2 weeks postpartum. A normal BP during pregnancy ranges from 110/80 up to 120/80. An increase of 5 to 10 mmHg from a pre-pregnant state may suggest pregnancy induced hypertension (high BP).
One from most important symptoms of Preeclampsia is very high BP during pregnancy. For female with Preeclampsia diagnosis doctor may prescribe you next medications for medical treatment: antihypertensives, some corticosteroid drug, and anticonvulsive medications.
Recent health studies indicate a change in the BP during menses; however, only a very slight rise happens. Results would indicate that a woman can have the highest BP during the follicular stage of menstruation, a few days before menses begin. Some studies also show that these readings increases during ovulation, but similar to the follicular stage, it only increases slightly, which does not affect general well being.
Because of these changes in female, more of them suffer from hypertension during adulthood as compared to men. In fact, 3 out of 5 cases of hypertension consist of women, which make them more at risk of developing heart diseases, liver disease, heart attacks, stroke and other cardiovascular disorders.
To prevent these diseases, it is important that females regulate their diet plan, and lifestyle to maintain a good BP reading, which should be around 120/80 mmHg. Good blood pressure for women is dependent on the interplay of hormones, and other physiologic processes, and thus monitoring and prevention of hypertension is essential.
