Cardiologist told me I don't need statins until menopause hits. Is that true?
I'm a 37 year old South Asian woman with a family history of high cholesterol and heart disease. My LDL has been steadily increasing with the last tests showing at 177. ApoB is borderline high at 1.27 and LpA in normal range with 56.8 mmol.
I went to a cardiologist who did an ultrasound and said my heart and neck arteries look totally fine and that I shouldn't start statins until after menopause. She said until menopause, women are protected anyway and high LDL doesn't necessarily mean I'm likely to get a stroke or heart event.
Now I'm a bit sceptical about this as most doctors are not as up to date with newer guidelines and most don't advocate for a proactive approach of prevention. In fact, insurance doesn't cover statins in this country until you have a stroke or heart attack. Plus there are tons of studies about how women are less likely to receive treatment compared to men with the same condition.
What do you think?
I have the luxury of access to a "third-world" country where I can buy statins at 1/6th of the cost, over the counter. I already started self administering 5 mg rosuvastatin with 10 mg ezetimibe on alternating days, but now this cardiologist is making me question things.