Strokes affect both men and women. However, women are more negatively impacted as stroke is the third cause of death in women, compared to the fifth leading cause of death in men. Every year, about 55,000 more women have a stroke than men. Among the more than 137,000 Americans who die from stroke each year, about 60 percent of them women. This year, it is estimated that more than 100,000 women in the U.S. under age 65 will have a stroke.