Cardiovascular Disease in Women and in Pregnancy

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of mortality among women. Increasingly, sex differences are being recognized with respect to both traditional and sex-specific risk factors, pathophysiology of disease, clinical presentation, therapeutic approaches, and utilization of guideline-directed therapies. In addition, cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality in pregnancy. Several unique considerations are required when treating women with cardiovascular disease both pre-conception and during pregnancy. Further, cardiovascular complications of pregnancy—including development of gestational hypertensive diseases—increase a woman’s risk of future cardiovascular disease and are important risk factors to consider in the care and risk stratification of women.