The Heart of the Matter: Creating Pathways to Optimal Cardiovascular Health for Women Across the Lifespan

Heart disease and stroke cause one in three deaths among women in the United States each year. Life events such as pregnancy and menopause, as well as psychosocial factors and fragmented care, may increase women’s risk for cardiovascular disease. However, women may be unaware of their risk and are less likely than men to undergo non-invasive diagnostic testing at the initial point of care. This results in delayed diagnosis, delayed therapeutic interventions and poorer results and outcomes. Further, despite the significant disease burden and gaps in care, women are still underrepresented in clinical research focused on heart disease and stroke.

In this session panelists:

• Described recent evidence on how pregnancy, the menopause transition, and psychosocial factors, including stress and interpersonal violence, impact cardiovascular risk in women.
• Learned how PCORI-funded researchers are testing innovative patient and community-centered care models to improve heart health for birthing people.
• Discussed gaps in care and opportunities for future comparative effectiveness research to improve women’s cardiovascular health across the life course.