BACKGROUND: According to the American Stroke Association, stroke is the third-leading cause of death, behind heart disease and cancer. In the United States, stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability. About 5.8 million people are living today who have suffered a stroke. While 2.3 million of those stroke survivors are men, 3.4 million are women. The latest statistics show women account for more stroke deaths than men -- about 60.8 percent of deaths.

RISK FACTORS FOR WOMEN: While many risk factors for stroke are the same for men and women -- like family history, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, weight and sedentary lifestyle -- there are several, lesser-known risk factors for women that are not often talked about. They include:

» Birth Control Pills: Taking birth control pills, especially after age 35, raises the risk of stroke. If you're on them, it's important to keep both cholesterol and blood pressure normal. One study shows women who take even a low-estrogen birth control pill may be twice as likely to have a stroke than women who don't.

» Baby Bumps: Stroke risk increases naturally during pregnancy due to natural changes in the body. George Levy, M.D., from Coral Springs Medical Center in Florida says stroke is more common in pregnancy because: "There's a higher plasma volume -- blood volume -- in pregnancy. There's also a higher risk for thrombosis."

» Hormone Replacement Therapy: The combined therapy of progestin and estrogen for post- menopausal women raises stroke risk.

» Weight Concerns: Post-menopausal women who have a waist larger than 35.2 inches and a triglyceride level higher than 128 mg/liter may have a five-fold increased risk of stroke.

» Got Headaches? Migraine headaches can raise a woman's stroke risk. Most people in the United States who suffer from migraine headaches are women.

» Heart Defects: Women are more likely to suffer from mitral valve prolapse -- a condition in which the valve tends to prolapse into the chambers of the heart as it pumps. Having this condition raises the risk of stroke.

» Clotting Disorders: Women who have had more than one miscarriage may have a higher risk of blood clots, which can increase their risk of stroke.

WARNING! Some stroke warning signs are common for both men and women. These include sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg -- especially on one side of the body -- sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding, sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes, sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination and/or sudden, severe headache with no known cause. Symptoms that are unique to women include:

Sudden face and limb pain
Sudden hiccups
Sudden general weakness
Sudden chest pain
Sudden palpitations
Sudden nausea
Sudden shortness of breath