Our Women’s Heart Program recognizes and addresses those different needs by offering diagnostic and treatment approaches for female-specific heart concerns.
Call 206-215-4545 for more information or to request an appointment.
Women's Heart Program
Swedish Heart & Vascular Institute is the region’s leading cardiovascular care center, with the broadest range of services and sub-specialties and expertise in the most complex conditions. With locations around western Washington and a dedicated heart facility in downtown Seattle, we are committed to advanced, leading-edge diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation for a growing range of adult and pediatric cardiovascular diseases and conditions.
Women’s life events, such as pregnancy, menopause, and emotional stress can significantly impact heart health throughout her life and increase the risk of heart disease. That’s why it’s important to get care from women’s heart experts. The Swedish Heart & Vascular Institute provides comprehensive and specialized heart care for women at all stages of their life at multiple locations.
Most women don’t know there are differences in a woman’s heart and heart health risk factors compared to a man’s.
Here are some of the differences that you may not have known:
- Palpitations that are associated with dizziness, shortness of breath or chest tightness may be a sign of more serious heart disease in women
- Hormonal factors play a crucial role in a woman’s heart health
- Two thirds of women who died of a heart attack experienced no prior symptoms
- Conditions like diabetes hypertension and depression are more potent risk factors for heart disease for a woman at any stage of her life
Heart disease is often a silent killer – especially in women. In fact, two in three women who die from a heart attack show no symptoms prior to the attack.
The good news is with advanced diagnostics, doctors are able to detect coronary-artery disease in its earliest stages.
The Swedish Heart & Vascular Institute gives you access to the full range of diagnostic tools, including those that have proven most accurate in detecting heart disease in women:
- Stress echocardiograms
- Nuclear-stress tests
- Angiography
- EBT (electron-beam tomography)
The best way to lower your risk is to raise your awareness. Understanding how different habits affect your heart – positively or negatively – puts you in control. Of course, there are some risk factors that you cannot control, such as getting older, your family history.
- Don't smoke: A woman who smokes puts herself at as much as a six-times-higher risk for a heart attack than a nonsmoking woman. Using birth-control pills compounds the risk.
- Maintain a healthy weight: The risk of heart disease is two to three times higher for women who are overweight – especially if the extra pounds are concentrated around the waist. Consider a weight-loss program.
- Eat and drink sensibly: Choose low-fat, fiber-rich foods with no more than 30 percent of daily total calories from fat. Eat one to two meals each week high in omega-3 fatty acids and limit alcohol to no more than one drink per day.
- Get your exercise: Aim for 30 to 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity, three to four days each week.
- Lower your bad cholesterol and raise your good cholesterol: Your total cholesterol should be no higher than 200 mg/dL. Your HDL (good cholesterol) should be at least 40 mg/dL.
- Manage diabetes: The Swedish Diabetes Education Center provides the self-management education that people need to successfully manage their diabetes and reduce their risk of complications.
- Get regular screenings: Get complete blood workups and cholesterol screenings at your yearly physical exam and get blood-pressure checks at least every two years.
Our Services
A woman's heart health needs are unique. The Women’s Heart Program at Swedish Heart and Vascular Institute recognizes and addresses those different needs by offering diagnostic and treatment approaches for female-specific heart concerns.
Areas of expertise:
- Personalized cardiac risk assessment including novel risk factors
- Individualized heart attack prevention lifestyle plan
- Menopausal cardiac health
- Pregnancy associated cardiac disease
- Post partum cardiac health
- Microvascular coronary artery disease
- Advanced Hypertension
- Cardiac genomic testing
Coordinated comprehensive care through our network:
- Management and treatment for atrial fibrillation (AFib)
- Structural heart
- Advanced Cardiac support
- Diagnostic imaging
- Electrophysiology Interventional cardiology
- Cardiovascular surgery
- Vascular surgery
- Cardiac rehabilitation
- Cardiovascular research
Providers Specializing in Women's Heart Program
At Swedish, you'll have access to a vast network of dedicated and compassionate providers who offer personalized care by focusing on treatment, prevention and health education.
