SWHR spoke with Dr. Nieca Goldberg, Medical Director of Atria New York City and Clinical Associate Professor of medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, about women’s heart health across the lifespan. Some of these answers previously appeared on SWHR social media channels. These responses have been edited for length and clarity.
I’m young and healthy and don’t frequently think about my heart. What steps should women in their early to mid-twenties take to improve our heart health?
Step 1. Understand that heart disease is an important women’s health issue and is preventable.
Step 2. Take stock of your heart health. Ask your family members if heart disease or risk factors for heart disease run in your family. Do you have a personal history of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, or preterm birth? These factors may increase your risk for heart disease too.
Step 3. Schedule a visit with your doctor to have your blood pressure and weight checked. Have your labs drawn for a lipid panel and glucose test. During this visit, talk to your doctor about ways to prevent heart disease.
Step 4. Take action to support your heart. Move more. Focus on eating unprocessed foods and more fruit vegetables and whole grains. Improve your sleep. You can also improve your heart health by improving your mental health.
I live with PCOS. What are some things women should know about how PCOS or other uterine health conditions impact heart health?
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition consisting of fluid-filled sacs (cysts) in the ovaries, and can include symptoms of increased hair growth, irregular menstrual periods, difficulty becoming pregnant, and higher levels of androgens (male sex hormones). Often women with PCOS have cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, prediabetes that can lead to Type II diabetes, and obesity. The cluster of these risk factors (high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity) is also known as metabolic syndrome; metabolic syndrome is associated with a two-fold increase in risk for heart disease.
To support your heart while living with PCOS, build a health care team for your heart, which may consist of a gynecologist, internal medicine, family doctor, and endocrinologist. Get lab tests for cholesterol, glucose, hemoglobin A1C, and blood pressure to know if your levels put you at additional risk for heart disease. Consider keeping to a Mediterranean style diet combined with aerobic exercise and strength training.
I’ve seen a lot of information about heart health and pregnancy. What should women be doing to manage their cholesterol and heart disease risk during and after pregnancy?
During pregnancy, the levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol increase due to higher levels of progesterone that support the pregnancy. It is important to keep moving with moderate intensity exercise such as walking, swimming, and cycling. Remember these types of exercise may change as your pregnancy advances. Your eating plan should include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, and you should avoid processed foods.
I’m a 50-year-old woman who never had kids. What should older women be doing for their heart health as we continue to age?
Step 1. Know your risk factors. Speak to your family about their history of heart disease. Are you exercising and is it a regular routine or occasional activity? Do you smoke cigarettes? Consider keeping a food diary to better track of what you eat.
Step 2. Schedule a doctor’s visit for a checkup. Undergo a lab evaluation for risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Ask if you are a candidate for a computed tomography (CT) calcium score, which is a CT scan that measures plaque build-up in the walls of your arteries, to assess your additional risks for heart disease.
Step 3. It’s never too late to take action to control your risk factors. Build and maintain healthy habits. Continue to visit your doctor regularly and discuss your heart health with them frequently.
❤️ Some of these answers previously appeared on SWHR social media channels as part of the #ReadMyLips campaign. Learn more about Read My Lips here.