This enables the measuring accuracy of the blood pressure watch to be increased by more than 70 per cent. Clinical trials of the device are currently under way. The first measurements have already been taken in parallel with a catheter procedure - with very promising results.
After menopause, a woman's risk of high blood pressure and other cardiovascular diseases increases greatly; the risk increases significantly faster for women after hysterectomy, perhaps because the uterus produces chemicals that help regulate blood pressure.
The older a woman gets, the greater her chances of developing high blood pressure, also known as hypertension: it affects 13% of women under age 44, nearly half of women in their 60s, and 80% or more of those over age 75.