According to Go Red for Women, cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer of women, causing more deaths than all forms of cancer combined. Shockingly, only 44% of women recognize heart disease as their greatest health threat. That’s why this episode is critical for raising women’s heart health awareness.
Women’s heart attack symptoms differ from men’s—yet many women’s symptoms are dismissed or overlooked. That’s why this episode is critical for raising women’s heart health awareness.
In this episode, Dr. Nanette Wenger—one of the first cardiologists to focus on heart disease in women—shares:
What are the risks & symptoms of heart disease in women?
How do heart attacks manifest differently in men vs. women?
How can women recognize early signs of heart problems?
What steps can women take to prevent heart disease?
How well do healthcare professionals understand women’s heart attack symptoms?
How to advocate for yourself if your concerns aren’t being heard
“It is important to realize this is not a disease of old ladies. This is a disease of young women. It is a disease that can be ameliorated and prevented.” - Dr Nanette Wenger
Key Insights on Women’s Heart Health:
Pregnancy & Heart Disease: Pregnancy complications (like preeclampsia) can indicate future heart risks.
Menopause & Heart Health: The loss of estrogen affects cardiovascular health, increasing heart disease risk.
Women’s Heart Attack Symptoms: Unlike men, women often experience jaw pain, nausea, extreme fatigue, and dizziness instead of classic chest pain.
The Role of Stress & Mental Health: Depression, anxiety, and autoimmune diseases impact women’s cardiovascular health more than men’s.
Resources:
American Heart Association’s Presidential Advisory
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More about Dr. Nanette Wenger
Dr. Nanette Wenger was a co-author of the American Heart Association’s 2007 Guidelines for
Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Women, and she continues to promote and conduct
gender-specific cardiology research. Her work includes the connection between pregnancy
complications and cardiovascular disease and the possibility that certain breast cancer
treatments are linked to heart failure.
Dr. Wenger earned a Bachelor of Arts from Hunter College, summa cum laude. She was one of
the first women to earn her doctorate in medicine at Harvard Medical School, and in 1956, she
was the first woman to be named chief resident in cardiology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New
York City.
Together with colleagues at Grady, she led the development of a 21-day cardiac rehabilitation
program for patients after myocardial infarction (heart attack), which became a model for
programs across the country.
Dr. Wenger is actively practicing at Emory University School of Medicine and is a professor
emeritus and serves as the director of the Cardiac Clinics and the ECG Laboratory at Grady
Memorial Hospital.
Dr. Wenger has received numerous awards for her notable achievements throughout her
career. Just last month, she was featured in The Hill newspaper’s special tribute, “The Century
of the Woman: 100 Women Who Have Helped Shape America.” She also chaired the World Health Organization’s Expert Committee on Rehabilitation after Cardiovascular Disease and co-chaired the Guideline Panel on Cardiac Rehabilitation for the U.S. Agency for Health Care Policy and Research. Dr. Wenger has had a longstanding interest in geriatric cardiology, is a past president of the Society of Geriatric Cardiology and was editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Geriatric Cardiology for more than 15 years.
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