A woman may see a gynecologist for her irregular periods, a therapist for her depression, and a primary care doctor or cardiologist for her high blood pressure. Each clinician may focus on an important concern. But what is often missing is a shared understanding of how those concerns fit together and what that means for her lifelong cardiovascular health.
These missed connections matter because cardiovascular disease is the greatest threat to women’s health today. Approximately 1 in 3 deaths in women are due to cardiovascular disease every year. Yet fewer than half of women knew that heart disease was the leading cause of death for women, according to a 2019 survey performed by the American Heart Association.
This is what led the American Heart Association to bring together the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Our three-part series, published today in Circulation, establishes a new framework for cardiovascular health in girls and women. The papers and accompanying videos introduce the new Female Life Stage tool, provide clinical guidance, and outline how health systems can deliver coordinated care throughout life.
What one clinician learns should inform the care a woman receives in different settings and from different clinicians. For example, pregnancy can act as a natural stress test, revealing cardiovascular risks that may otherwise go unrecognized. A history of preeclampsia should inform cardiovascular preventive care long after delivery. The 2026 Cardiovascular Kidney Metabolic Syndrome Guideline now explicitly recognizes pregnancy complications, as well as premature menopause, as one of the factors that can inform personalized prevention.
Mental health is also linked to hormonal and cardiovascular health. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) can frequently disrupt sleep, physical activity, and eating patterns, which are relevant to cardiovascular health. These symptoms are common, but being common does not make them inconsequential. Mood symptoms during the menopause transition likewise deserve assessment and treatment as part of comprehensive care.
Recognizing perimenopause as a distinct life stage acknowledges that its symptoms can disrupt daily life, persist for years, and deserve treatment. Hormone and nonhormonal treatments can help, with decisions guided by symptoms, age, cardiovascular and cancer history, and a woman’s preferences. The same visit offers an opportunity to assess cardiovascular disease risk and address changes in cholesterol and cardiometabolic health.
But documenting information in the medical record will not be enough. We also need to change how care is delivered.
Health care should apply this principle; women’s experiences should shape how care is organized and delivered. But this redesign must be paired with structural change that addresses the barriers, bias, and discrimination that contribute to symptoms being dismissed, delays in care, and unequal access to health care and treatment for women.
Women’s health research also remains underfunded, though there may be some recent signs of progress. In October, President Trump signed an executive order to create a new division for women’s health in the National Institutes of Health, but no funding has been allocated at this time.
Girls and women represent half the population, and every clinician, every specialty, and every health system has a role to play in their health. Women can do much to protect their health, but they should not have to connect the dots in their care alone.
Hence then, the article about a new way to think about women s heart health was published today ( ) and is available on Time ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( A New Way to Think About Women’s Heart Health )
Also on site :
- James Gunn Defends the DC Universe, Says He Dislikes the Idea That ‘Individual Stories Aren’t Meaningful Unless They Lead to Something’
- Detroit Lions Broadcaster Dan Miller Honors Late Wife During First Game Back, and What Happens Next Is Enough to Bring You to Tears
- China Box Office: ‘Resident Evil’ Stays at No. 1 as Market Hits Fall Lull