Announcement: The Women’s Healthy Heart Initiative is now the Wendy Wray Women’s Healthy Heart Initiative.
Announcement: The Women’s Healthy Heart Initiative is now the Wendy Wray Women’s Healthy Heart Initiative.
Our focus is on giving you the evidence-based facts and information you need to independently improve your heart health — including sex and gender specific risk, which is too often overlooked.
Not all risk factors are equal. The more you manage or eliminate, helps decrease your risk.
Heart disease is 80% preventable. The key is knowing which risks you have and taking them seriously before symptoms appear.
Age, family history of heart disease, and being male or female. These raise your baseline risk. You need to know them.
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Elevated cholesterol and blood pressure; diabetes, smoking, obesity, physical activity, nutrition. These are within your power.
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Risk increases with age, particularly after menopause. The hormonal changes that come with menopause can affect your cardiovascular health in ways that are specific to women.
A parent or sibling with heart disease raises your risk. This does not mean heart disease is inevitable but it means your modifiable risks matter even more. Ask your family about their health history.
Women have a unique set of sex-specific cardiovascular risk factors that are too often missed.
These are covered in detail below.
Too much bad cholesterol can narrow the coronary arteries. Having a family history of heart diseases is an indicator.
The silent killer. No symptoms until damage is done. Get it checked regularly at your nearby pharmacy.
A stronger risk factor for women than men. You can have your blood sugar tested at your pharmacy.
Another stronger risk factor for women. Quitting is the single most impactful change you can make for your heart health.
Particularly abdominal obesity. Linked to inflammation and metabolic risk in women.
30 minutes of moderate movement most days significantly reduces risk.
Diet can directly affect your heart health. Small consistent changes add up.
Important for women: Diabetes and smoking carry a greater cardiovascular risk in women than in men. If either applies to you, managing them is a priority.
Ask yourself: do any of these apply to me?
Menopause between age 40 to 44 is associated with a 40% higher lifetime risk of coronary heart disease. One of the most underrecognised risk factors in women's cardiovascular health.
Also referred to as Poly-Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (fromerly know as PCOS). Linked to higher cardiovascular risk later in life and often under appriciated in heart heath.
Gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, hypertension, preterm births and placental abruption may be linked to increased future cardiovascular risk.
Arthritis, lupus and similar inflammatory conditions can be linked to elevated heart disease risk. These conditions are significantly more common in women than in men.
A recognised cardiovascular risk factor in women, often under-recognised and under-treated. The link between mental and heart health is real and well documented.
Certain causes of infertility have been linked to increased long-term cardiovascular risk.
Some treatments can affect heart health. Worth discussing with your care team if this applies to you now or in the future.
Both carry a greater cardiovascular risk in women than in men. Two of the most controllable and most impactful risk factors you can address today.
The resources below are trusted by the WWWHHI team and recommended as your starting point for learning more, taking action and staying informed about your heart health.