Women's Heart Health

Heart disease affects women differently than men — and recognizing those differences can save lives. Our women’s heart health specialists provide expert care focused on prevention, early detection and treatment tailored specifically for women.

To help you get the specialized care you need, MU Health Care offers a heart program just for women. From pregnancy to postmenopause, our specialists can help you manage your heart risks at every stage of life.

We specialize in preventing and treating common heart concerns. Our heart and vascular team also has expertise in managing complex issues that occur more often or exclusively in women, including:

Heart issues during pregnancy
Heart risks related to polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS, formally known as PCOS)
Menopause-related heart issues
Microvascular dysfunction (small vessel disease)
Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (tear in coronary artery)

Our Approach to Women’s Heart Health

At our Heart and Vascular Center, we provide the answers and guidance you need for a healthier heart. Our skilled women’s heart care team includes:

Cardiologists: Diagnose and manage heart issues in women.
Interventional cardiologists: Perform minimally invasive procedures to open arteries, replace heart valves and more.
Cardiac surgeons: Offer innovative surgeries to treat heart conditions.
Vascular surgeons: Provide advanced treatment for blood vessels.
OB/GYNs and maternal fetal medicine specialists: Collaborate on heart care for pregnant patients.
Electrophysiologists: Diagnose and treat heart rhythm issues.

As part of an academic health system, we also collaborate with a full range of other specialists. If you have other health conditions that affect your heart, we’ll assemble the right experts on your care team.

When to See a Women’s Heart Specialist

If you have family history of heart disease or specific heart symptoms or concerns, you may benefit from seeing our team. Consider an appointment if you have:

Autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, which can raise your heart risks
Chest pain
Congenital heart disease
Current or past smoking habit
Diabetes or metabolic syndrome
Heart issues during pregnancy
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
Inactive lifestyle
Obesity
Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS)

Talk to your primary care provider to get a referral, or reach out to our team directly.

What to Expect on Your First Appointment

Our goal is to design a personalized prevention or treatment plan, based on your specific heart issues and risk factors. During your 30-minute consultation, you’ll meet with a cardiologist who specializes in managing women’s heart health. After your examination, your doctor may order tests to better understand your risks.

Once we have your results, we’ll develop a personalized treatment plan to help reduce your heart risks or symptoms. Our team can provide support to help you make healthy lifestyle changes and protect your heart and overall health.

Women’s Heart Tests and Treatments

MU Health Care offers the complete range of tests and treatments for women’s heart health.

Women’s Heart Tests

Research shows that women’s heart conditions often go undiagnosed and untreated. Our experts know the warning signs of heart disease to look for in women. To check your heart, we may order tests such as:

Blood tests: Check for markers of heart risks, including lipoprotein A and cholesterol.
Calcium score test (heart scan): Can show if you have plaque buildup in your arteries.
Electrocardiogram (ECG): Records electrical activity in your heart.
Echocardiogram (ECHO): Uses ultrasound to create images of your heart.
Stress test: Tracks your heart rate, blood pressure and breathing during activity.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): Uses strong magnets to provide detailed images of your heart.
Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scan: Uses a small amount of radioactive material to check heart function.
Computed tomography angiogram: Can see inside arteries without the need for cardiac catheterization.
Cardiac catheterization: A minimally invasive procedure during which a thin tube is moved through a vessel to your heart.

If you have a local heart doctor, we will work with them to coordinate your testing and treatment.

Women’s Heart Treatments

We offer many heart treatments that are not available at other centers in mid-Missouri. Options available include:

Personalized medication plans, including the latest weight loss medications as well as clinical trial medications not widely available
Support with lifestyle issues like nutrition and smoking cessation to help reduce heart risks
Minimally invasive treatment options, like angioplasty and stents, which are performed during cardiac catheterization
Transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVRs), which are performed by interventional cardiologists to treat heart valve disease
Open heart surgery, which can treat a wide range of heart and vessel conditions
Cardiac rehabilitation, which can reduce your heart risks through supervised exercise and education