Women’s risk factors
Know your risks
As women, we face unique risk factors for heart disease and stroke at different points in our lives.
A risk factor is something that increases your likelihood of developing a condition or disease. While aging increases risk for heart disease and stroke, women face unique risk factors at every life stage. Knowing your risks is the first step in managing them.
Women’s life stages and risk factors
Reproductive years
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Risk factors in this life stage
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Other risk factors for women
Menopause
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Risk factors in this life stage
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Other risk factors for women
Post-menopause
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Risk factors in this life stage
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Other risk factors for women
Sex and gender are complementary concepts, but they are not interchangeable. Sex describes biology, such as hormones and chromosomes, while gender describes people’s lived experience, socially constructed roles, expectations and self-identification. Both impact women’s health including risks for heart and brain health.
- #1
- 89%
- ↗
- cause of premature death of women in Canada is heart disease and stroke
- of women are unaware of their unique risk factors
- High blood pressure markedly increases in severity in women as they age.
Some women experience greater health inequities. Here’s a closer look.
Women’s risk factors
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High blood pressure
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Diabetes, obesity, and high cholesterol
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Modifiable, lifestyle-related risk factors
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Non-modifiable risk factors
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Depression
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Systemic inflammatory and autoimmune disorders
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Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
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Menstruation and contraception
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Pregnancy related disorders or complications
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Breast cancer treatment
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Chronic kidney disease
Women’s stories
A high-risk inheritance
Carissa’s diagnosis in pregnancy signaled a bigger issue – one that she’d later take control of, with her family’s support
“I am here for a reason.”
Lynne’s Indigenous culture helped sustain her through a devastating stroke
Saving a mother's heart
It was almost too late when Christina learned that pregnancy complications had increased her risk of heart disease