An OB-GYN’s Insight on Heart Health and Hormones

As an OB-GYN for the past 25 years, I feel as though I’m on the frontline of health care providers who can identify women at risk for heart disease. When you go to see your OB-GYN for your yearly exam, you can start to learn what your risk factors are for the No. 1 killer of women. Many women only see their OB-GYN during the first 50 years of their life, so knowing who is at risk can be lifesaving.

Once thought to be a man’s disease, heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women. It accounts for more deaths than all forms of female cancer combined, including breast, lung and ovarian cancer.

It’s hard to believe that a woman dies every 80 seconds from a heart attack or stroke and that more than two-thirds won’t feel a single symptom. If there’s a take-home message, it’s that 80 percent of the causes of heart disease can be prevented. | | | Next → |