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Heart disease kills more women than all forms of cancer combined — but only about half of all women know that. Women are often unaware of their risk for heart disease and may not even know they already have it. Our Women’s Heart Health Clinic is determined to change these facts.
Our clinic provides complete cardiovascular (heart) disease care uniquely tailored for women. World-class heart specialists and surgeons help you understand your risk and navigate prevention, detection and treatment of heart disease.
Quick Facts
#1
Cause of death for women in the U.S.
64%
Of sudden deaths in women are symptomless
4 of 5
Cases of heart disease are preventable
Why Choose Us for Women’s Heart Health
- Women and men can experience heart disease very differently. That’s why our clinic provides specialized care just for women who have or are at risk for heart disease.
- We provide care for a wide range of heart diseases affecting women, including heart attack, stroke, heart failure and many other cardiac conditions.
- Every step of your heart care is managed by our clinic, so you get the most efficient, most effective treatment possible.
- Personalized nutrition and lifestyle counseling give you the support you need to make impactful, heart healthy choices.
- We work closely with other specialty teams to provide heart care during complex situations, like pregnancy, cancer, postmenopause and diabetes.
What Our Physicians Are Saying
“Women with heart disease are often ignored and misdiagnosed due to their unique symptoms. We as women have to take ownership of heart health — our clinic helps you do just that.”
When should I see a doctor?
We encourage you to request a heart evaluation appointment if you:
- Have noticed signs or symptoms of heart disease or are concerned about symptoms you’re experiencing
- Want to know your personal risk for cardiovascular diseases
- Have a family history of heart disease
- Are worried about how your heart health is affected during pregnancy, menopause or cancer treatment
- Want a second opinion
Call us at 800-468-5432 to schedule an appointment with a cardiologist.
Heart Disease Signs and Symptoms in Women
Women get all the same heart diseases as men but often experience different signs and symptoms. Some women don’t experience any symptoms, while others may have less obvious symptoms than men usually do.
Symptoms of heart disease can include:
- Discomfort, pain, pressure or numbness spreading to the chest, jaw, neck, arms or back
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Irregular pulse or heart palpitations
- High or low blood pressure
- Anxiety or panic attacks
- Nausea or vomiting
- Dizziness or fainting
- Abnormal sweating or pale skin
- Unexplained weakness or fatigue
- Pain or swelling in the limbs
Sudden chest pain and trouble breathing may be signs of a life-threatening issue. Consider visiting the emergency department right away.
Do I need a referral?
Depending on your health insurance, you may need a referral. Our clinic helps you manage your heart health, whether your concern is prevention, diagnosis, treatment or even a second opinion. Please call 800-468-5432 for more information.
Conditions We Treat
Heart disease is a term for many conditions related to the heart and blood vessels. We help women suffering from or at high risk for these conditions:
- Heart attack
- Small vessel disease of the heart: damage to the walls of the small arteries in the heart
- Vasospastic angina: seemingly random sharp chest pain
- Myocardial infarction / ischemia with no obstructive coronary artery disease (MINOCA / INOCA): syndromes that increase risk of heart issues
- Conditions like postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS): large increase in heart rate upon standing
- Coronary artery disease (CAD): narrow or blocked arteries in the heart
- Structural heart disease: issues with tissues or valves in the heart, like mitral valve prolapse (MVP)
- Peripheral artery disease (PAD): reduced blood flow to the limbs caused by narrow or blocked arteries
- Deep vein thrombosis (DVT): blood clot that can cause serious problems if it travels to your lungs
- Heart failure: weakening of the heart muscle, caused by blockages in the heart vessels, broken heart syndrome (stress-induced cardiomyopathy) or pregnancy (peripartum cardiomyopathy)
As part of our holistic approach to healthcare, we also treat factors that put women at risk of heart problems. These include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and addiction to alcohol or smoking.
Related Conditions & Treatments
Services We Offer
A woman's heart is different than a man's. We provide specific diagnostic and treatment options focused on women. This extends from comprehensive risk assessment to diagnostic testing and treatment options specialized for the cardiac conditions in women.
Pregnancy comes with special considerations for your heart health. We provide pregnancy-related heart care, including:
- Pre-conception cardiac risk assessment
- Heart care during pregnancy
- Post-partum risk assessment for women with adverse pregnancy outcomes, like gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes and preterm delivery
We work closely with other specialists to make sure you have the highest level of care possible. Your care team may include high-risk maternal fetal medicine specialists, obstetric anesthesiologists and adult congenital heart disease specialists.
If you have cancer, the last thing you want is another health issue on your mind. We provide evaluation, treatment and monitoring for women with heart problems who are about to be treated for cancer. We also provide care to women with heart damage caused by past cancer treatments.
While menopause doesn’t cause heart disease, women can experience an increase in both their risk and noticeable symptoms near menopause. We provide evaluation, treatment and monitoring of postmenopausal women with heart disease.
Women’s Heart Disease Risk Assessment
A comprehensive risk assessment helps you understand the factors contributing to your personal risk of heart disease. Once you know your risk factors, you can take steps to improve them and possibly prevent heart disease.
We’ll conduct tests to provide a complete picture of your risk, which can include:
- Genetic testing to determine if you inherited risk factors from your parents.
- Advanced lipid testing to test for issues with your cholesterol and triglycerides (the main component of body fat). This includes measuring your “good cholesterol” HDL and your “bad cholesterol” LDL, useful for determining your current heart health. Certain patients may need extending lipid testing, including testing for a specific type of LDL called Lp(a).
We’ll help you understand what your results mean for your heart health and what you can do to reduce risk. If treatment is needed, we’ll also help you understand your next steps.
Take charge of your heart health — call us at 800-468-5432 to schedule an appointment.
Women’s Heart Disease Prevention
Up to 80% of deaths from cardiovascular disease can be prevented by changing unhealthy lifestyle choices. We offer the following support services to help you overcome the challenge of living heart healthy.
Nutritional Counseling
Our complimentary nutritional counseling helps you stick to a heart healthy diet. Both eating right and reducing weight are critical steps for women to avoid heart attack, heart failure and stroke.
Lifestyle Counseling
Lifestyle counseling helps women reduce heart disease risk through proven methods of healthy living. Lifestyle counseling can help you:
- Quit smoking or reduce tobacco usage
- Develop and stick to an exercise plan
- Get better rest
- Manage stress
- Reduce your alcohol and caffeine intake
- Keep track of your blood pressure and other symptoms
What to Expect
Facing a potentially lifelong heart disease can be scary. But no matter what you’re going through, you don’t have to face it alone — we’re by your side every step of the way.
Our team believes in a personalized, whole person approach to care. While your heart is in our hands, your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health all get the care they deserve.
At your first appointment, you’ll be evaluated by our heart experts. Depending on your unique needs, we may:
- Assess your personal risk of heart disease
- Perform an exam and order further diagnostic tests (like blood tests or X-rays)
- Discuss options for treatment
- Help you understand what you can do to reduce your risk
- Provide options for support services (like lifestyle counseling or nutritional counseling)
Managing heart disease can be difficult and confusing. We’ll make sure you understand your next steps and help you throughout prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
In addition to testing done during your risk assessment, you may need diagnostic tests for heart disease. These tests help us determine if you have heart disease, how serious it is and which treatment approach may help. Using one or more of the following tests, we have the ability to quickly and accurately diagnose any heart disease.
- Blood tests, which can measure your cholesterol levels and other important heart health signs
- Electrocardiogram (sometimes called ECG or EKG), which measures your heart’s electrical activity
- Holter monitor, a wearable, portable ECG that monitors your heart for up to a few days
- Exercise stress test (or heart stress test), which measures how your heart works during exercise on a treadmill
- Chemical nuclear stress test, in case you cannot exercise
- Imaging tests to identify medical issues affecting your heart, including echocardiogram, MRI, CT, cardiac calcium scoring, PET scan and amyloid scan
- Cardiac catheterization, which uses a catheter (tube) to measure blood flow and pressure in your heart
- Heart biopsy, which tests a small piece of tissue removed from the heart to check for inflammation and disease
Treatment for heart disease depends on your heart condition. We make sure you understand your treatment options and what you can do to improve your heart health.
Our cardiologists work together to develop a comprehensive treatment plan that works for you. Depending on your condition and unique needs, treatment may include:
- Medications, including cholesterol, hypertension and angina management medication
- Minimally invasive procedures (procedures with fewer or smaller incisions and faster recovery) for heart attack, valve problems or ablations to treat fast heart rhythm
- Implantable devices that can help with severe heart failure, irregular heartbeats and weakened hearts
- Lifestyle changes, like quitting smoking or losing weight
- Surgery, if required
Implantable devices
At our clinic, you have access to advanced implantable devices that can treat a wide range of heart conditions. Devices include:
- Cardiac resynchronization therapy devices for severe heart failure
- Implantable cardioverter defibrillators for irregular heartbeats
- Ventricular assist devices (VAD) to support function for weakened hearts
Take the Next Step
If you have a family history of heart disease, want a second opinion or are concerned about your heart, call us today at 800-468-5432. Take charge of your heart health — you can schedule a heart evaluation appointment even if you don’t have a referral.
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