When people think about women’s health, these issues usually come to mind: breast cancer, fertility, and maternal health. While those are critically important concerns that deserve attention and resources, the greatest threat to women’s health is actually heart disease.

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death for women in the United States, a reality that has persisted for more than a century. It kills more women annually than all forms of cancer combined.

Yet awareness of this fact remains surprisingly low, even among employer benefit decision-makers. New research from Hello Heart found that only 47 percent of benefit leaders identified heart disease as the top cause of mortality among women.

This awareness gap matters. When the greatest health risk facing women is misunderstood or overlooked, employers risk missing opportunities for prevention and early intervention. Women’s History Month is a timely reminder that protecting women’s health must include protecting their heart health.

But first, it’s important to understand why women’s heart health has been under-invested in for so long.

How Women’s Heart Health Became an Overlooked Issue

As a cardiologist and clinical researcher, I’ve witnessed firsthand how women have been left out of heart health care and research. Even today, women make up fewer than 20 percent of cardiologists and continue to be underrepresented in research studies that inform clinical guidelines.

Consequently, heart disease has long been perceived as a “men’s disease,” even though it affects millions of women every year. In fact, women often experience heart disease differently from men, and face unique risks that benefit leaders and employees alike should take into account. For example, women can experience unique heart attack symptoms, including:

• Fatigue
• Nausea, lightheadedness, or dizziness
• Shortness of breath
• Pain in the jaw, neck, or back

These symptoms are often misinterpreted by patients—or dismissed by doctors as asthma or anxiety symptoms—which can lead to dangerous delays in diagnosis and treatment.

Women also face increased cardiovascular risk factors in different stages of life. Pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia or gestational hypertension, can significantly increase long-term heart disease risk. Hormonal changes during menopause can also contribute to rising blood pressure and cholesterol levels, which are key risk factors for heart attacks and strokes.

Despite these realities, many women remain unaware of their personal risk for heart disease. Many prioritize other health screenings such as mammograms and pap smears, but don’t monitor critical cardiovascular indicators like blood pressure, cholesterol, and daily activity.

Ultimately, the lack of awareness and action on women’s heart health has devastating consequences. Studies have shown that women continue to die from heart attacks at up to twice the rate that men do.

Why This Matters to Employers

The implications extend beyond the individual health of the women in your organization. Cardiovascular disease also has a significant impact on workforce health, productivity, and healthcare costs.

Our research found that more than nine in 10 benefit leaders say heart disease and related risk factors are a top driver for their organizations. Yet only about one in three rank heart disease prevention as a top benefits priority.

This disconnect highlights an important challenge. Cardiovascular risk often develops quietly over time. High blood pressure and high cholesterol show few symptoms in their early stages. As a result, attention and resources are often directed toward more visible or immediate health concerns while cardiovascular risk  builds in the background.

The financial toll is staggering. Individuals living with heart disease or major cardiovascular risk factors generate an average of $9,300 in annual healthcare costs.

And the impact goes beyond direct medical claims. Missed workdays, reduced productivity, and  all contribute to the broader burden of unmanaged cardiovascular risk.

These realities make heart attack and stroke prevention not only a health priority, but a necessary workforce strategy.

The Heart-to-Heart Conversation We All Need

While employers should share health information broadly via educational resources and programs, awareness can also begin with a simple heart-to-heart. A meaningful conversation about women’s heart health is sometimes the first step toward preventing an avoidable heart attack or stroke.

These conversations do not need to happen only in doctors’ offices. They can begin in workplace wellness discussions.

Of course, it can be an awkward topic to bring up out of nowhere. A workplace wellness discussion or webinar during February (Heart Month), March (Women’s History Month), or May (Women’s Health Month) is an opportunity to have the conversation with the workforce and share available resources.

Not every woman will want to discuss these topics openly, and that is understandable. Health conversations are personal and many people prefer to keep medical details private. But even raising awareness of these risk factors can prompt someone to pause and think about her own health, or the health of a loved one.

Sometimes the most meaningful impact comes simply from putting this information out into the world. A conversation with a colleague–or a partner, a friend, a sister in your personal life–might encourage someone to schedule a screening, ask their doctor a new question, or begin tracking their numbers more consistently.

Five Ways Employers Can Help Close the Gap

Employers are uniquely positioned to support better cardiovascular health across the workforce. Integrating heart health into broader women’s health initiatives can help improve awareness and encourage proactive prevention of heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiac events.

Here are five tactics employers can deploy:

1. Expand education around women’s cardiovascular risk
   Women’s health initiatives often focus on reproductive or cancer-related care. Expanding educational resources to include heart health can help employees understand their cardiovascular risk and recognize symptoms earlier. One example of a resource to share with employees is this infographic: Busting 5 Myths About Women & Heart Disease. 
   
   
2. Encourage preventive screenings
   Routine monitoring of blood pressure, cholesterol, and other cardiovascular risk factors can identify problems long before a heart attack or stroke occurs. Employers can support these screenings through preventive care programs and health awareness campaigns.
   
   
3. Address life stage health risks
   Pregnancy complications, menopause, and certain chronic conditions can significantly influence cardiovascular risk. Benefits strategies that consider these life stage transitions can help women better manage long-term heart health and identify the populations that are at elevated risk.
   
   
4. Support medication adherence
   Nearly half of people treated for high blood pressure do not follow their prescribed medication plans, placing them at higher risk for serious cardiovascular events. Programs that help employees stay on track with their medications can significantly improve outcomes.
   
   
5. Leverage digital health tools that support ongoing engagement
   Digital health solutions that enable women to monitor their blood pressure at home, use personalized coaching, and medication reminders can help them stay engaged with their cardiovascular health between doctor visits.

Together, these approaches can help organizations move from awareness to action.

Prevention Is Within Reach

One of the most encouraging facts about cardiovascular disease is that it is largely preventable. Research shows that up to 80 percent of heart attacks and strokes can be prevented through lifestyle changes, early detection, and appropriate treatment.

That means there is enormous opportunity to improve outcomes when women, healthcare providers, and organizations work together to prioritize heart health.

Start with a heart-to-heart conversation with your workforce. Encourage preventive screenings and open discussions about cardiovascular risk. And as you review your 2027 strategies for supporting workforce health, consider how heart health fits into the broader picture of women’s health.

Because, ultimately, no women’s health strategy is complete without protecting women’s hearts.