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cardiovascular risk

Cardiovascular risk is a way of identifying who is more and less likely to develop Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD) over a defined period of time, based on a number of known risk factors such as smoking, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and age. Knowledge of how to modify our risk can help us stay healthy and prevent diseases like heart attack or stroke.

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What a Family History of Heart Disease Means for Your Health

A white table with a family history form, a stethoscope, and a paper cutout of a family around a heart

Cardiologist Christine Jellis discusses heart conditions that can run in our families and what we can do to take control of our heart health.

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What to Know About Midlife Women's Heart Health

A close up of an older woman standing outside holds her hand over her chest

Dr. Emily Lau discusses how menopausal changes can affect our heart health, including how early assessment can help prepare us for the changes in our bodies that will happen during menopause.

Stories & Conversations

Coping with a Postpartum Heart Attack

A woman in a heart attack t-shirt holds up both hands

Wakisha Stewart, a mother, wife, and nurse, shares her experience of having a postpartum heart attack at the age of 31.

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Breastfeeding & Heart Health

A woman breastfeeds a baby who looks at the camera

Can breastfeeding reduce our risk of cardiovascular disease? The American Heart Association describes the many ways that breastfeeding benefits both babies and birthing parents.

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Pregnancy Complications and Cardiovascular Risk

A pregnant woman stands in a kitchen eating a bowl of fruit

How can we lower our cardiovascular risk when we have a history of pregnancy complications?

Resources

Menopause and Heart Disease Risk

A Black woman doctor sits with her patient, reviewing medical results on a tablet

As we age, menopause affects our risk for heart disease in various ways. This article from the American Heart Association explains how.

Resources

Heart Attack Symptoms in Women

An older Latina woman sits on a couch with her had on her back as though experiencing back pain. She has short hair and is wearing a white t-shirt and dark pants.

Women’s heart attack symptoms may be subtler than men’s. Learn how to recognize heart disease in women and steps we can take to help prevent it.

Resources

Caring for Heart Health during Menopause

A white woman with short gray hair sits on a couch with her hand on her chest as though having chest pains

This article discusses concrete ways we can make a plan to protect our heart health, including how to calculate our risk and recognize the often different signs of heart disease in women during menopause.

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Postmenopausal Heart Health: What to Expect

An older woman with short hair who appears to be South Asian and is wearing a blue shirt gets her blood pressure checked by a Black woman in a white coat. She has a stethoscope wrapped around her neck, and her hair is styled in braids.

This article describes how menopausal changes can increase heart disease risk and how we can minimize those risks.

Resources

Reproductive Planning: The Cardio-Obstetric Perspective

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This video, from Harvard Medical Grand Rounds, includes several presentations on reproductive health for medical providers in internal medicine.

Resources

Health Risks of Loneliness and Social Isolation

The face of an older woman with white hair and bangs. She looks pensive. She is sitting outside. She is wearing red lipstick and a blue sweatshirt.

Loneliness and social isolation affect a significant number of older people in the United States.

Resources

An Overview of Atrial Fibrillation

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A brief, gender-neutral overview of what happens to the body during atrial fibrillation, including causes, symptoms, interventions, and treatments.