Women also suffer atypical symptoms, such as loss of consciousness or fainting, difficulty breathing, pain, nausea or seizures, says Dr. Rzucidlo, citing preliminary research presented at a 2009 meeting of the International Stroke Association.

"The research shows that while 90% of women have typical stroke symptoms, 10% of women have atypical symptoms," she says. "Knowing these could save your life."

Fact about stroke risk #4: Menopause can increase risk.
As women approach menopause and estrogen levels plummet, their risk of stroke goes up.

"Estrogen protects neurons [brain cells]," explains Joyce K. Lee-Iannotti, M.D., a neurologist at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz. "When you enter menopause, you lose that protection."

Estrogen also boosts good cholesterol (HDL), which prevents bad cholesterol (LDL) from clogging arteries and causing blockages that can lead to stroke, she says.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) might get rid of hot flashes, but won't lower stroke risk. In fact, it may increase it because HRT raises the risk of blood clots, which can cause strokes, says Dr. Brockington.

No matter when postmenopausal women start HRT, high doses raise the risk of stroke by as much as 62%, according to a 2008 Harvard study, which looked at data from 121,700 women in the Nurses' Health Study from 1976 to 2004.

The increased risk for stroke was seen whether women started HRT at young ages, in menopause or even later in life, the study showed.

But not all research supports this finding. Women who used HRT for 10 years following menopause had no increased stroke risk, according to a 2012 Danish study of 1,000 women, published in the British Medical Journal.

Talk to your doctor to decide if HRT is right for you.