Heart Disease :: What Every Mom Needs to Know

My grandpa died of heart disease when he was fairly young. However, I rarely think about my risks of heart disease. I’m young(ish). I’m healthy(ish). I’m a busy momma focusing on caring for my children. But today, the American Heart Association is highlighting the dangers and risks of heart disease in women with the National Go Red for Women campaign.

One poignant fact about heart disease is that it is a life-long condition– once you have it you cannot really be “cured”.  That’s a good wake up call to see what factors we mommas can control now to reduce our risks of heart disease.

What is heart disease?

Heart disease is a disorder of the blood vessels surrounding your heart. When these blood vessels become damaged by fat, cholesterol, or other substances, oxygen and other nutrients can’t get to the heart. This is what causes a heart attack. Although women usually survive their first heart attack, recovery is slow and painful.

There are many factors that can increase your risk of heart disease.  Several of these risk factors stood out to me and made me realize that we should be paying attention now, even while our lives are super full with diapers, laundry, and little people.

Three risk factors that every mom needs to know:

• being overweight (anyone else have some baby weight to loose?)
• being physically inactive (I mean, carrying a toddler around all day counts, right?)
• having an unhealthy diet (macaroni and cheese for the umpteenth time, anyone?)

These unhealthy lifestyles all contribute to raising your risk of heart disease. As a side note, I thought it was interesting that having a history of preeclampsia during pregnancy also increases your risks (although there’s nothing that we can really do about this risk).

I pulled these risks out of a long list, but that doesn’t mean they’re the only important ones. Check out the other risk factors too— smoking, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol are all huge risk factors.

It’s important to know the initial signs of a heart attack so we can recognize one– if not only for ourselves but also for our moms, grandmas, or friends.

Even if we do all we can to minimize our risks, it’s naive to think that we won’t be affected by heart disease. Statistics tell us that 1 out of every 4 deaths among women in the United States is caused by heart disease.

Even though some women report no symptoms, the most common heart attack symptom (even among women) is chest pain or discomfort. Women are also more likely to experience shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain when compared with men. These symptoms can occur when you’re resting or physically active.

This coming week I think I’ll make a more concerted effort to put my kids’ coats on and go for a brisk walk. I’m also planning on paying more attention to what (or if) I’m eating breakfast and lunch. I will try to remember to grab an apple for a snack instead of that secret chocolate stash.

How about you? Do you plan on taking any steps towards reducing your risks?