Women & Heart Disease
Women’s Heart Disease Care at UVM Health
Although heart disease is often thought of as a condition that primarily affects men, it’s the number one cause of death in women in the United States. Women generally experience many of the same symptoms of heart disease as men but often they or their health care providers may not recognize them as cardiac symptoms.
At University of Vermont Health, we offer heart disease treatment tailored to the unique needs and risk factors of women. We approach your care with skill and empathy, answering all your questions and spending as much time with you as you need. Your treatment is always personalized for your unique needs and preferences.
Why Choose UVM Health?
As one of the leading heart and vascular programs in the region, we offer:
- Coordinated care: At UVM Health, you’re connected to the expertise of a team of cardiologists, electrophysiologists, surgeons and other specialists who work together to give you seamless, personalized care. If you need more specialized treatment, we quickly coordinate transfers and referrals.
- Advanced diagnostic tools: Our cardiologists use a wide range of diagnostic tools, including advanced technologies such as nuclear cardiac imaging, echocardiography and cardiac CT scans to understand the root cause and severity of your condition.
- 24/7 rapid response: Our Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation activation system is an advanced life-support treatment we can mobilize within an hour for critically ill patients.
- Research-driven treatments: Many of our physicians are also active researchers that participate in and lead national clinical trials. Our research gives our patients access to promising emerging therapies that aren’t widely available.
Risk Factors for Women's Heart Disease
Many of the traditional risk factors for heart disease affect women and men equally, including:
However, several factors are more likely to lead to heart disease in women, such as:
- Chronic stress
- Depression
- Low estrogen
- Metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors that includes extra fat in the waist, high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar and high cholesterol
- History of pre-eclampsia
Types of Heart Disease that Affect Women
Heart disease is a broad term to describe a wide range of conditions that affect your heart. You may be born with a heart condition or it may develop over time. We treat all types of heart disease in women, including:
- Arrhythmias: Irregular heart rhythms
- Cardiomyopathy: A condition in which the heart has difficulty pumping blood through the body
- Congenital heart disease: Problems with the heart’s structure that are present at birth
- Coronary artery disease: Narrowing in the blood vessels that carry blood to the heart, most often caused by a buildup of a fatty substance called plaque
- Heart disease in pregnancy: Includes heart rhythm problems, heart valve problems and congenital heart disease that may require advanced monitoring during pregnancy
- Heart failure: A chronic condition in which the heart doesn’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs
- Heart valve disease: Leaking or narrowing in the heart valves, which control how blood flows through the heart
- Spontaneous coronary artery dissection: A type of heart attack that most often affects middle-aged or younger women
- Stress cardiomyopathy: Heart muscle weakening that develops due to significant physical or emotional stress. Also known as “broken heart syndrome.”
Women’s Heart Disease Symptoms
Some women have no symptoms of heart disease at all. Heart attack symptoms in women often go unrecognized and include:
- Dull or heavy chest discomfort
- Jaw, arm, neck or throat discomfort
- Nausea or vomiting
- Pain that radiates through the back and upper abdomen
- Unexplained fatigue or shortness of breath
Women also commonly experience subtler signs of a heart attack. Many women describe their heart attack symptoms as discomfort or pressure rather than pain. Some also think they are having heartburn.
A heart attack is a medical emergency that requires timely treatment to minimize damage to your heart muscle. If you think you could be having a heart attack, call 911 immediately.
Women with other forms of heart disease like heart failure or arrhythmias can experience shortness of breath, leg swelling, palpitations, dizziness or lightheadedness.
Wellness & Prevention
Evidence shows that proactive health care focused on preventing illness leads to better outcomes. We're here to help you live a healthier, happier life. We offer wellness and prevention services to empower you to take control of your health.
Diagnosing Heart Disease in Women
Our cardiovascular specialists use a wide range of cardiology imaging and stress testing tools to effectively diagnose heart disease in women. Our network of heart and vascular locations across the region means you can receive expert diagnostic testing no matter where you live.
Heart disease evaluation and testing may include:
- Physical examination: Checks for high blood pressure, heart rhythm irregularities, murmurs and fluid retention
- Blood tests: Looks for chemical markers of heart disease
- Imaging tests: Views your heart, lungs and blood vessels, looking for narrowed arteries, heart valve problems or problems with your heart’s structure
- Electrocardiogram (EKG): Records your heart’s electrical activity and help identify arrhythmias or other heart problems
- Echocardiogram: Creates a video image of your heart pumping blood and check your heart valves’ function
- Ejection fraction test: Measures how well your heart is pumping blood and determine the severity of heart disease
- Holter monitor: A wearable patch that looks like an oversized band-aid and records your heart’s rhythm over a period of 24 hours or longer and detects irregular heart rhythms
- Stress tests: Show how your heart and blood vessels respond during exercise or in response to medications that increase blood flow to the heart, helping to find blocked arteries or a weakened heart muscle
- Cardiac catheterization or angiogram: Identifies blocked or narrowed arteries using a long, thin tube (catheter), a special dye and imaging tools
Women’s Heart Disease Treatment
The goal of heart disease treatment is to improve your heart function. This often includes opening blocked arteries to improve blood flow. At UVM Health, we personalize your treatment plan to your unique needs. Treatment may include:
Heart disease treatment usually includes adjustments to your lifestyle. Lifestyle changes may slow the progression of heart disease and improve blood flow. In mild-to-moderate cases, lifestyle changes may relieve your symptoms entirely.
Your doctor may recommend:
- Exercising moderately most days of the week
- Quitting smoking
- Eating a heart-healthy diet that reduces your intake of fats, cholesterol, salt and alcohol
- Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight
The UVM Health cardiac rehabilitation program offers individualized support and guidance for women who are making lifestyle changes to help treat heart disease.
Some heart disease medications more effectively treat heart disease in women than in men. Your cardiologist may recommend:
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors: Reduce blood pressure and improve blood flow
- Anticoagulants or blood-thinning medications: Reduce your risk of stroke
- Aspirin therapy: Taken daily to reduce your risk of stroke and heart attack
- Beta blockers: Slow your heart rate and lower blood pressure
- Diuretics or water pills: Reduce excess fluid and swelling
- Statins: Lower cholesterol and reduce heart attack risk
You may need a heart procedure for severe heart disease, especially if you have blocked coronary arteries. We offer an extensive array of heart surgeries and minimally invasive procedures for heart disease in women, including:
- Angioplasty and stenting: Your cardiologist inserts a flexible, hollow tube (catheter) with a balloon into a blocked artery. The balloon is inflated to restore blood flow in the artery, and a small mesh device (stent) is placed to keep the artery open.
- Coronary artery bypass surgery: You may need bypass surgery if you have multiple severely blocked coronary arteries. Your provider uses blood vessels from other parts of your body, usually your legs, to create new pathways for blood to flow around the blockage.
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) is an advanced life-support treatment that temporarily takes over the work of your heart and lungs. Using a specialized machine, ECMO oxygenates your blood and returns it to your body — giving your organs time to heal.
Our multidisciplinary team includes specialists in cardiac surgery, interventional cardiology, cardiovascular ICU, pulmonary critical care, ICU nursing, respiratory therapy, rehabilitation and perfusion.
Locations Near You
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62 Tilley Drive
Suite 101
South Burlington, VT 05403
118 Tilley Drive
Suite 102
South Burlington, VT 05403-4450
75 Park Street
Elizabethtown, NY 12932
101 Adirondack Drive
Suite 1
Ticonderoga, NY 12883
133 Park Street
Malone, NY 12953
130 Fisher Road
Berlin, VT 05602
62 Tilley Drive
Suite 101
South Burlington, VT 05403-4407
133 Park Street
2nd Floor
Malone, NY 12953-1244
130 Fisher Road
MOB-A Suite 2-1
Berlin, VT 05602-9000
214 Cornelia Street
Suite 203
Plattsburgh, NY 12901-2332
