5. You take aspirin daily for heart insurance
Under 65? Aspirin isn't helpful for your heart yet. Aspirin thins the blood, lowering the risk of clots, but "there isn't any evidence aspirin will prevent heart attacks in women under 65," says Christine Lawless, MD, of Ohio State University Medical Center, in Columbus. Aspirin can cause potentially life-threatening gastrointestinal bleeding in women under 65. However, some doctors do prescribe it to younger women if they are at increased risk due to a strong family or personal history of heart attack. Even then, you should take no more than 325 milligrams a day. Take other pain relievers judiciously too. Ibuprofen and acetaminophen have been linked to high blood pressure. According to a recent study, women who took an average of 400 milligrams of ibuprofen a day (the amount found in a single dose) were 60 percent more likely to develop high blood pressure than women who didn't take any.
