Women's heart health: Unique cardiometabolic risks

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in men and women, yet 45% of women don’t know it’s their leading cause of death. A staggering 71% of women never discuss heart health with their physicians. This episode will explore this gender disparity and elucidate why women carry unique risk for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Today’s episode is with clinical educators Trisha Winchester, PhD and Maeson Latsko, PhD.

This episode will

• Discuss the gender gap in cardiovascular disease (1:15)
• Review risk factors for CVD that are unique to women (4:00), such as PCOS (6:00), adverse pregnancy outcomes (9:00, gestational diabetes: 13:00, pre-eclampsia 15:15), and menopause (19:30)
• Review what laboratory tools providers can utilize to better indicate and track risk in women overtime (14:30, 17:45)

To learn more, please review the additional resources below for information on our cardiovascular, metabolic, endocrine, and wellness offerings, as well as educational resources and insights from our team of experts. At Quest Diagnostics, we are committed to providing you with results and insights to support your clinical decisions.

 

Date: 04/2025

 

Speaker(s): Trisha Winchester, PhD, Maeson Latsko, PhD

Contributor(s): Trisha Winchester, PhD, Maeson Latsko, PhD

 

Additional Resources:

Women in CV risk article

References:

Cardiovascular Disease and Breast Cancer: Where These Entities Intersect: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2019;140(9):e543. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000728

Vilmi-Kerälä T, Palomäki O, Vainio M, Uotila J, Palomäki A. The risk of metabolic syndrome after gestational diabetes mellitus - a hospital-based cohort study. Diabetol Metab Syndr. 2015;7:43. Published 2015 May 12. doi:10.1186/s13098-015-0038-z

Vounzoulaki E, Khunti K, Abner SC, Tan BK, Davies MJ, Gillies CL. Progression to type 2 diabetes in women with a known history of gestational diabetes: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ. 2020;369:m1361. Published 2020 May 13. doi:10.1136/bmj.m1361

Kramer CK, Campbell S, Retnakaran R. Gestational diabetes and the risk of cardiovascular disease in women: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Diabetologia. 2019;62(6):905-914. doi:10.1007/s00125-019-4840-2

Brown MC, Best KE, Pearce MS, Waugh J, Robson SC, Bell R. Cardiovascular disease risk in women with pre-eclampsia: systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Epidemiol. 2013;28(1):1-19. doi:10.1007/s10654-013-9762-6

Leslie MS, Briggs LA. Preeclampsia and the Risk of Future Vascular Disease and Mortality: A Review. J Midwifery Womens Health. 2016;61(3):315-324. doi:10.1111/jmwh.12469

PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) and diabetes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Reviewed March 24, 2020. Accessed August 18, 2022.https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/pcos.html

 

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