The Bayhealth Foundation Women’s Leadership Council hosted Heart-to-Heart: A Conversation on Women’s Cardiovascular Health Feb. 26, in Milford. The community event featured presentations from Bayhealth cardiologists Shwetha Gopal, MD, and Sana Hyder, MBBS, MD, who shared important information about women’s cardiovascular risk factors, symptoms and prevention.

During the evening program, the clinicians discussed the reality that heart disease remains the leading cause of death for women in the United States, accounting for one in every five female deaths. Despite this statistic, many women do not recognize heart disease as their greatest health threat.

The presentation highlighted how heart disease symptoms in women can differ from the classic symptoms many people associate with heart attacks. Women may experience warning signs such as jaw pain, back pain, shortness of breath, nausea or unusual fatigue – symptoms that are often mistaken for stress or other conditions.

“Many women do not realize their symptoms may be related to heart disease,” said Gopal, a cardiologist at Bayhealth Heart & Vascular. “Understanding the warning signs and risk factors can help women seek care sooner and take steps to protect their heart health.”

The clinicians also discussed risk factors that are unique to or more common among women, including pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia or gestational diabetes, hormonal changes related to menopause, and autoimmune conditions that increase inflammation in the body. They also addressed the impact of chronic stress and caregiving responsibilities on long-term cardiovascular health.

In addition to education about risk factors, the presentation focused on prevention and screening. The clinicians shared strategies that can significantly reduce cardiovascular risk, including maintaining healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels, engaging in regular physical activity, eating a balanced diet and avoiding tobacco use.

Attendees also learned about screening tools that can help identify cardiovascular risk earlier, including lipoprotein(a) testing and coronary calcium scoring. Lipoprotein(a), often referred to as Lp(a), is a genetically influenced cholesterol particle associated with increased risk of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular conditions.