What You Should Know About Women’s Heart Health

The Women’s Power Circle is a group of women philanthropists and business, healthcare and community leaders who believe in the power of women to drive positive change for women’s health. We marked International Women’s Day with a conversation with two top cardiologists at St. Michael’s Hospital, Dr. Beth Abramson and Dr. Victoria Korley, about what women need to know to maintain good heart health. Here are some highlights.

YOUR RISKS:

Unlike men, women are generally protected from heart disease until menopause. But women lose some of the premenopausal protection if they develop diabetes during pregnancy. Other risk factors include high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

If a close family member (e.g., parent, sibling) has heart disease, a woman’s chance of developing it increases.

Menopausal hormone therapy (otherwise known as hormone replacement therapy) does not prevent cardiovascular disease. In fact, after the age of 60, the high doses of estrogen increase the risk of clotting that can cause strokes.

Aging, obesity and sleep apnea are among the factors that can cause ‘electrical chaos’ (otherwise known as a-fibrillation) in the heart, which can cause clots to form that may travel to the brain, resulting in a stroke.

Women with a-fibrillation who have a stroke are at a higher risk of having a massive stroke than men.

WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR:

Don’t ignore these symptoms of a heart attack: heaviness in the chest, sweating, shortness of breath, discomfort in the arms, nausea, indigestion, feeling cold and clammy. It’s not just men who get these symptoms.

And if symptoms appear only when you are doing physical activity (otherwise known as exertional symptoms), that may signal a blockage in the heart that you need to get checked out.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PREVENT HEART DISEASE:

Small changes in your daily routine can lower your risk of developing heart disease:

• Do 140 minutes of moderate exercise each week
• Make healthier eating choices the easy choice such as bringing your own lunch
• Be vigilant about maintaining a healthy weight, especially as you age
• Try mindfulness or meditation

ABOVE ALL:

Don’t be a type E personality only—doing everything for everyone but yourself. Be your best advocate for your own health.

Want to support women’s health at St. Michael’s Hospital? Join the Women’s Power Circle. Learn more HERE or contact Maggie Dymond at [email protected].