This browser does not support the Video element.
Heart health awareness takes center stage every February
The month of February is known for many things - one of them being your heart health.
FOX 2 - The month of February is known for many things - one of them being your heart health.
The backstory:
The color red is powerful in the month of February. It can remind us of love, and heart health.
When you spot someone wearing red, ladies should ask 'What am I doing for my heart?'
Heart disease is the top killer when it comes to men and women. As we share the risk with the guys, there are some big gender differences.
"As we age and go through menopause, our estrogen levels go down," said Dr. Carina Fadel of Henry Ford Health. "Estrogen is protective towards the heart."
Fadel, a cardiologist, said that plummeting estrogen sets us up for real risk.
"As we age we are also at risk to developing high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and this, combined with low estrogen actually accelerates your risk for heart disease."
Certain conditions during pregnancy like gestational diabetes can also be a predictor of future heart disease. Plus, women are just built differently.
"Women have smaller and thinner blood vessels than men," she said.
That biology is one of the reasons that heart disease can look and feel a little different in women.
"They wont necessarily have that crushing chest pain that most people often recognize as a heart attack," she said. "But rather they have abdominal pain, or nausea, fatigue, or even shortness of breath."
The American Heart Association has a lot of free resources on their website to help women navigate cardiovascular health through all stages of life at goredforwomen.org
The Source: Information for this report is from an interview with Dr. Carina Fadel.