How pregnancy, childbirth and menopause impact women’s heart health

Heart disease and stroke claim the life of one woman every 80 seconds, but less than half of women recognize heart disease as their leading cause of death.

Traditional risk factors impact both men and women, but women also face a unique set of risks. Our experts discuss why heart health is different in women, what you can do to be proactive and why caring for yourself improves your family’s health.

You always have time for others; taking care of the dog, kids, spouse, colleagues, in-laws and on and on. It's time to take care of yourself as well!

Traditional risk factors in women

Traditional risk factors, like family history, high blood pressure, smoking and diabetes impact women differently than men.

Women who have these risk factors are at a higher risk of having a heart attack than men with the same risk factors.

A woman who is obese has a 64% risk of having a heart attack, while a man who is obese has a 44% risk. It’s a huge difference. Knowing your risk is important so you can act accordingly on the factors within your control.

Stress is also a risk factor. Stress is multifactorial, impacting many aspects of your health and well-being. Stress increases your blood pressure, impacts your sleep patterns and increase your risk of depression.

Depression has recently been identified as a risk factor for heart disease, and stress, in many ways, is one of the worst risk factors often overlooked.

Heart attacks in women

Unique risk factors in women

Women experience unique life experiences that impact heart health.

Pregnancy and heart health

Preeclampsia is a high blood pressure disorder that can occur during pregnancy and can lead to life threatening complications for both the mother and baby if left untreated. It occurs in about 1 in 25 pregnancies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What’s more, women who have had preeclampsia have an increased risk later in life to have high blood pressure, heart attack or stroke.

Any elevated blood pressure during pregnancy puts you at risk. Even 15 years after your pregnancy, women are at higher risk of developing high blood pressure and heart disease.

Gestational diabetes also puts women at risk of later developing heart disease.

Maternal health and your heart

Cardiovascular conditions are the leading cause of maternal death, according to the American Heart Association. In addition, pre-term birth increases a woman’s likelihood of future heart disease, heart events like heart attacks and death due to coronary heart disease.

To protect your heart from disease, you can:

• Check your blood pressure regularly.
• Work on your lifestyle with exercise and dietary changes.
• Get quality sleep.
• Manage stress levels.

The worst thing you can do is ignore any concerns you have. Women die more of a heart attack than men because women talk themselves out of what’s going on and hope it goes away. They come in hours or days later when it’s already too late.

Menopause and heart health

Post-menopausal women, especially those who experience early menopause, have an elevated risk of heart disease, since women lose the protective effects of estrogen. While typically associated with the menstrual cycle, estrogen has broad effects on the body – helping bones, skin and hair as well as the brain, urinary tract and heart. Estrogen helps decrease inflammation at a vascular level, preventing plaque buildup in your arteries.

Teaching the next generation about heart health

We know how difficult it is for women to juggle work, family, friends and their social lives. It can feel difficult to find 30 minutes to an hour a day to spend on yourself. But it’s not only good for your health, it teaches those around you to care about their own health.

When you take care of yourself, you teach your children their health is a priority, too.