By Christin LeBoeuf
Do you know a woman with cardiovascular disease? Chances are you do.
Cardiovascular disease is the number-one killer of women. It claims more female lives than all forms of cancer combined. Losing one woman to cardiovascular disease is one too many.
Women experience unique stages through their lives that affect both overall health and cardiovascular health. Unique risk factors specific to women are:
- Pregnancy: Pregnancy can lead to cardiovascular conditions (including peripartum cardiomyopathy, stroke and heart attack), as well as adverse pregnancy outcomes (gestational hypertension, preeclampsia and gestational diabetes) that can increase a woman’s risk for CVD later in life. Therefore, it’s vital that women are healthy before, during and after pregnancy, both for themselves and their babies.
- Menopause: While menopause does not cause cardiovascular disease, a woman’s risk is higher after menopause, making it vital for women to take charge of their health in the years leading up to and during menopause.
Women, especially Black and Hispanic women, are disproportionately impacted by heart disease and stroke, and research shows heart attacks are on the rise in younger women. Yet younger generations of women, Gen Z and millennials, are less likely to be aware of their greatest health threat — including knowing the warning signs of heart attacks and strokes.
That’s why it’s important for all women to take charge of their heart health and encourage others to do the same. Here are a few things you can do to take control of your heart health and reduce your risks:
- Awareness is critical: All women need to know that cardiovascular disease is the top killer of women.
- “Know Your Numbers”: The key personal health numbers that help determine risk for heart disease are total cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar and body mass index.
- Know your family history, and talk to your doctor about heart disease and stroke.
- Take charge of your health to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease with tools and resources from Go Red for Women on physical activity, healthy eating, controlling blood pressure and managing sleep and stress.
February 4 is National Wear Red Day, a day designated to raise awareness of the particular challenges faced by women in reducing cardiovascular disease and stroke risks. February is also National Heart Month. There’s no better time than right now to “reclaim your rhythm” and take control of your heart health. To get more information, be sure to visit www.goredforwomen.org.
Christin LeBoeuf is executive director of the American Heart Association. Reach her at (228) 604-5307 or christin.leboeuf@heart.org.