One in five women between 55 and 75 will experience a stroke in their lifetime, according to the American Heart Association. With an ischemic stroke, a blood vessel bursts in the brain and causes bleeding, which damages brain cells. While some risk factors such as age, race and family history can’t be changed, others can be mitigated through healthy lifestyle choices. Avoid air pollution Research has shown that air pollution tends to impact women more than men in terms of inflammation, infection and heart disease.