{"id":896186,"date":"2026-10-27T08:58:27","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T08:58:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/896186\/"},"modified":"2026-10-27T08:58:27","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T08:58:27","slug":"womens-and-girls-heart-health-new-guidelines-for-doctors-patients-nbc-5-dallas-fort-worth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/896186\/","title":{"rendered":"Women\u2019s and girls\u2019 heart health: New guidelines for doctors, patients \u2013 NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the U.S. and around the world \u2014 a threat that’s projected to rise significantly<\/a> over the next two decades.<\/p>\n

In an aim to get ahead of the risk, four major medical organizations \u2014 the American Heart Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine \u2014 released a coordinated framework<\/a> for women’s heart health from puberty through menopause.<\/p>\n

The groups published the “Female Life Stages” framework<\/a> on Monday, detailing how female-specific biological changes \u2014 periods, pregnancy, perimenopause and menopause \u2014 affects girls\u2019 and women\u2019s heart health throughout their lives. The guidelines offer age-specific recommendations for preventing, detecting and managing cardiovascular health in females. <\/p>\n

\u201cHeart disease and other forms of cardiovascular disease don\u2019t suddenly become relevant when we become older women,\u201d said Dr. Stacey E. Rosen, former volunteer president of the AHA, who helped write the trio of scientific papers on the subject. <\/p>\n

Female healthcare is also often fragmented across different specialties throughout a woman\u2019s lifetime, \u201cwhich contributes to suboptimal care in girls and women,\u201d the authors of the guidance wrote. Rosen said the new guidelines represent \u201ca paradigm shift in how we look at women\u2019s cardiovascular and brain health.” <\/p>\n

\u201cWomen experience their healthcare across clinical specialties, but it often is fragmented or disconnected,\u201d said Dr. Sadiya S. Khan, chair of the science advisory group for women\u2019s health at the AHA, who co-authored the guidance. \u201cSpecifically, these reports connect the dots for clinicians, for patients and across health domains so that care is holistic and begins in adolescence, recognizing that women\u2019s heart health is uniquely shaped by biological transitions not experienced by men.”<\/p>\n

According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease, which includes heart disease and stroke, is the leading cause of death in women, claiming more than 400,000 lives in the U.S. each year. That’s more than breast cancer, lung cancer and chronic lung disease deaths combined. Yet, only about 4 in 10 (41%) women recognize it as their greatest health threat.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, the heart association projected<\/a> that the percentage of women with at least one type of cardiovascular disease will climb by more than a third, from 10.7% in 2020 to 14.4% in 2050, and nearly 60% of women in the U.S. are forecast to have high blood pressure by 2050.<\/p>\n

“These projections underscore the urgency of making cardiovascular health a priority at every stage of a woman\u2019s life,\u201d said Khan. \u201cThis new approach gives clinicians across specialties shared guidance to recognize risk earlier, personalize prevention, and act before a heart attack, stroke or heart failure event.”<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalifornia Live\u2019s Jessica Vilchis chatted with Nurse Practitioner Barbara Dehn, known as \u201cNurse Barb,\u201d who shares tips to help you put your heart first. February is national heart health month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of death for women. While the focus on heart health is crucial year-round, this month provides a valuable opportunity to pause, reflect, and take proactive steps to protect our hearts.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Female hearth health stages<\/p>\n

The “life stages” in the guidelines emphasize how hormonal health affects cardiovascular health across a woman\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

For years, scientists ignored the importance of hormones in women\u2019s heart health because the monthly fluctuations made research more complicated. But estrogen, estradiol and progesterone \u201cimpact cells in blood vessels, in the brain, in heart muscle,\u201d Rosen said. They affect cholesterol levels, the stickiness of blood cells, inflammation, blood pressure and the body\u2019s stress response.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you appreciate the understanding that these hormones are not just affecting the uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes but affecting in a rhythmic way every part of the cardiovascular system and brain, you can appreciate why these fluctuations or issues related to these hormones in women have an enormous impact\u201d on heart and brain health, she added. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Stage 1: Perimenarche<\/a> (Ages 8-15)<\/p>\n

This stage represents the transition around the first menstrual period. <\/p>\n

The new publications recognize menstrual cycle patterns can offer a look at future heart health. Persistent heavy or irregular menstrual bleeding can serve as early markers of cardiovascular risk, such as polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS, formerly known as polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS). <\/p>\n

Getting a first period before age 10 is linked to a higher risk of heart disease later in life. \u201cThat\u2019s not automatically a reason for alarm or medication,\u201d said Dr. Amanda M. Perak, an associate professor of pediatrics and preventive medicine at Northwestern. \u201cIt\u2019s a reason to pay a little closer attention to healthy habits and routine checkups.\u201d<\/p>\n

By knowing their period history, older teens can be ready to talk with their adult doctor or healthcare professional after they leave a pediatrician\u2019s care. Starting around age 12, eating disorders, which can affect future cardiovascular health, also become more common in girls, Perak said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal isn’t to worry teens about the chance of a heart attack, which are decades away for nearly all of them,\u201d Perak said. \u201cIt\u2019s that the teen years are when patterns get set, and it\u2019s much easier to keep good heart health than to get it back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stage 2: Ovarian Cycle and Pregnancy<\/a> (Ages 15-44)<\/p>\n

Regular ovulatory and hormone cycles are established at this stage, and it’s also when pregnancy typically occurs.<\/p>\n

Irregular or heavy bleeding can be an early sign of conditions that raise heart disease risk such as PMOS.<\/p>\n

Pregnancy is often seen as a “stress test” for the heart and can reveal important clues about heart health. Conditions like high blood pressure during pregnancy, called preeclampsia, or gestational diabetes aren\u2019t just temporary \u2014 they can signal a higher risk for heart disease later in life. <\/p>\n

Perinatal depression and anxiety, which affect up to 20% of pregnant women, can increase the risk of having cardiovascular complications. Pregnancy also causes additional stress on your body, which can raise heart disease risks postpartum<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThis fall, pediatricians affiliated with Boston Children’s Hospital are rolling out a new questionnaire for kids focused on family history and symptoms, aimed at identifying potential heart risk\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Stage 3: Perimenopause<\/a> (ages 45-51)<\/p>\n

Perimenopause is a transitional stage prior to menopause. Fluctuating hormones make menstrual cycles unpredictable, varying in length or skipped some months. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn general, as those changes are happening, women may experience increases in their low-density lipoprotein (\u201cbad cholesterol\u201d) levels, weight gain and potentially rising blood pressure,\u201d said Dr. Natalie A. Cameron, an internal medicine specialist who is an assistant professor at Northwestern.<\/p>\n

During this time, a woman\u2019s estrogen levels begin to drop, which can also increase certain heart disease risk factors<\/a>. That’s because estrogen helps keep blood vessels relaxed and open. With less estrogen, cholesterol may begin to build up on artery walls, which can increase the risk of heart disease or stroke, as well as the stiffening of blood vessels and arteries.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want to make it seem like it\u2019s doom and gloom, but recognize that there are some changes in these phases that can influence cardiovascular risk,\u201d Khan said.<\/p>\n

Hormonal changes during this time can also cause shifts in mood and make it more difficult to get a good night\u2019s sleep, both of which influence cardiovascular health, Khan said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHormones can influence your cholesterol and blood sugar and body weight composition. That is not saying that everyone needs to be on hormone therapy to combat that, but we do need to be evaluating those things so we can treat these traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Stage 4: Postmenopause<\/a> (age 51 and up)<\/p>\n

Women enter this stage after experiencing 12 full months without a period, usually around age 51. Loss of protective estrogen puts them at greater risk of heart issues.<\/p>\n

That’s especially important for women who reach menopause before age 45, who have a significantly higher risk of coronary heart disease resulting from plaque buildup in the arteries.<\/p>\n

Hot flashes and night sweats are the most common menopause-related symptoms and can last up to 10 years. They also are associated with worse cardiovascular disease risk factor levels.<\/p>\n

Each stage of a woman\u2019s life offers \u201cwindows of opportunity\u201d to prevent heart disease, said Dr. Esther Kim, director of the Center for Women\u2019s Cardiovascular Health at Atrium Health in North Carolina and author of one of the publications. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe can go all the way back to adolescence and even childhood and figure out, \u2018This person is at risk; we need to keep a closer eye on them,\u2019\u201d said Kim, who is also a professor and chair of cardiovascular medicine at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Charlotte.<\/p>\n

For women themselves, it comes down to a simple point: by being proactive, women have opportunities to lower their risks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the U.S. and around the world \u2014 a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":896187,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[97,682],"class_list":["post-896186","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-health","tag-health-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=896186"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896186\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/896187"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=896186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=896186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=896186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}