Women’s Health

Cardiovascular disease is the # 1 killer of Canadian men and women. Most women report far more fear about breast cancer than cardiovascular disease, yet almost as many women die from heart attack and stroke as men.

Women are at risk…

• Forty percent of all Canadian women's deaths are due to heart disease and stroke — eight times as many Canadian women die from cardiovascular disease than from breast cancer.
• One in ten women aged 45 to 64 has some form of heart disease. This increases to one in four over the age of 65*
• Pre-menopausal women have a significantly lower cardiovascular risk than men. After menopause, the risk becomes almost the same.
• Heart attack is twice as deadly in women as in men. A man faces a 5% to 6% chance of dying after a heart attack; for a woman, the likelihood is between 11% and 12%*
• Approximately 35% of heart attacks in women go unnoticed or unreported, partly because women’s symptoms are sometimes more subtle than men’s*
• The rate of having a second heart attack is 31 % for women compared with 23% for men during the first six years after a heart attack*
• Women who smoke and also take oral contraceptives ("the birth-control pill") may have a higher risk of stroke.

Prevention is your best line of defense. That means reducing stress, exercising, eating right and stop smoking.

Learn the warning signs so you can act quickly.

• Heart Attack
• Stroke

1 As with any medication, speak to your doctor or pharmacist before using.
2 Data on file.
* US Data