Women’s Health Week: The state of women’s heart health

National Women’s Health Week begins today, May 13. It’s a good time to check in with your health — both physical and mental — and schedule any checkups you may be due for.

This observance has never been more critical. It’s also a great time for family and friends to help achieve the best health possible for the women in their lives.

This year we’d like to focus on women’s heart health, because cardiovascular disease is still a leading cause of death for women in the United States.

About 80 percent of cardiovascular events can be prevented by knowing and managing your risk factors and following a heart-healthy lifestyle, which includes diet, exercise, sleep and a positive attitude.

Here are some lifestyle tips that can help reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease:

• Prioritize social connection — loneliness has been identified as the number-one health issue in the United States
• Practice gratitude
• Engage in random acts of kindness
• Get the recommended seven hours of sleep
• Exercise regularly

Risk factors that place women at higher risk for cardiovascular events:

• Age (55 and older)
• Family history of premature heart disease in first-degree relatives (parent, sibling or child)
• Elevated blood pressure
• Type 2 diabetes
• Tobacco use
• Elevated cholesterol

“Risk-enhancing” factors that may also put women at increased risk of cardiovascular disease:

• Inflammatory diseases (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma)
• Ethnicity factors (South Asian ancestry)
• Metabolic syndrome — have at least three of these conditions:
  • Triglycerides over 150 mg/dL
  • Fasting blood glucose greater than 100 mg/dL (or on medication for hyperglycemia)
  • HDL-C less than 50 mg/dL
  • Blood pressure 130/85 or higher (or on blood pressure medication)
  • Waist circumference: 35 inches or more
• Persistently elevated triglycerides
• Persistently elevated LDL or “bad” cholesterol
• Chronic kidney disease
• Early menstruation (under age 11)
• Preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm delivery, low- or high-birth weight baby
• Premature menopause (under age 40)
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome
• Depression and anxiety

It’s important to know your risk. You can use the American College of Cardiology risk estimator app or learn more about risk from our heart health self-assessment and downloadable heart health guides. Your provider can also help you determine your personal cardiovascular risk and a plan to reduce your risk.

Read about more ways to improve your heart health, including physical activity, healthy diet, tobacco use and more.

Women’s cardiovascular health programs

The Pulse Cardiovascular Health Program — for those who have at least two risk factors and are referred by their provider — helps patients set individual goals and develop a plan to accomplish them.

The prevention program was developed to educate women to be their own advocate for better heart health and improve access to cardiovascular care for women. It launched in 2020 and now has nearly 400 patient participants, both men and women, and is enrolling patients for both primary and secondary prevention..