Women’s Heart Health Resources

More than 7 in 10 women do not know that they have heart disease until they have a heart attack. Use this online resource to calculate your risk for cardiovascular disease or ask your primary care provider to calculate your risk.

There are several non-traditional risk factors that contribute to cardiovascular disease as well, such as autoimmune disorders, cancer treatment and depression that lead to greater cumulative risk.

Commonly called a heart scan, a cardiac calcium score is a noninvasive X-ray technology with a computed tomography (CT) scanner to determine the amount of calcium (plaque) that is in the arteries of your heart. 

A heart scan gives you an inside view of your heart's health complete with a personalized calcium score. Learn more about heart scans and how to make an appointment here.

There are several lifestyle modifications you can make to lower your risk for heart and vascular disease! Check out our brochure and discuss your risk factors with your primary care physician: Understand Your Cardiovascular Risks

• Eat heart healthy: learn more through our At the Heart of Healthy Eating booklet and take our Color Your Plate Challenge and enjoy at least five servings of fruit and vegetables a day!
• Be active
• Avoid tobacco
• Get enough high-quality sleep
• Take a proactive approach to your mental health
• Maintain a strong connection with family and friends

Did you know that nearly one in every four American women have high or borderline high cholesterol? In fact, many people may not realize that having high cholesterol levels is more common in women than in men. No matter your gender, it’s important to make sure you control your cholesterol to help reduce your risk of developing heart disease. Read more

Pregnancy: Women face unique risk factors in pregnancy that increase their risk of cardiovasular disease both in the short and long term. Conditions such as pregnancy-induced hypertension, preeclampsia and gestational diabetes confer a two- to seven-fold risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Learn more

Learn more about our BROACH initiative: The BROACH Initiative: Reaching More Young Women with Heart Disease Screenings

Menopause: Some things get better with age — going through menopause usually doesn’t make the list. As if hot flashes, night sweats and mood changes were not enough, complex hormonal changes that take place during menopause increase a woman’s risk for heart and vascular disease. This risk is exacerbated in women who experience menopause between ages 40-44. They are actually 40 percent more likely to suffer from heart and vascular disease, including having a heart attack, severe chest pain or stroke.

One-third of all cardiovascular outcomes are related to mental health, whether it’s social isolation, anger, depression or anxiety, etc. Depression rates are three times higher in patients with heart disease, and women are much more likely to suffer from a mental health illness than men. That’s why it’s so important to take a proactive strategy to managing your mental health and well-being as part of a heart-healthy lifestyle. Read more

We’ve all seen the movie scenes where a man gasps, clutches his chest and falls to the ground with a heart attack. In reality, most heart attacks are not that dramatic — they start slowly with mild pain or discomfort. The symptoms can be subtle and people aren’t sure what’s wrong. For women, the signs and symptoms are often less typical and sometimes confusing.

Call 911 within 5 minutes of the start of these warning signs:

• Chest discomfort of any type: pain, pressure, fullness or squeezing
• Shortness of breath
• Discomfort or radiating pain in the neck, jaw, arms, back or stomach with or without chest pain
• Sweating at rest
• Panic or anxiety with feeling of impending doom for no apparent reason
• Other common signs may include lightheadedness, nausea, vomiting or severe indigestion