Despite their life-giving importance, our hearts are probably not the first thing most women think about when they wake up in the morning.
We’re busy.
We’re juggling careers, families, caregiving, relationships, and a million little things in between.
Calendars full of appointments that aren’t ours. Groceries that somehow restock themselves. Group texts that need replies. Sick days we don’t take.
We’re managing households, holding teams together at work, and showing up for loved ones in ways big and small, often without stopping to ask what we need.
But here’s something that doesn’t get said enough: Your heart needs you to show up for yourself, too.
A Silent Threat Hiding in Plain Sight
Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States. It takes more lives each year than all cancers combined. And yet, most women don’t even realize it’s their biggest health risk.
It’s not because we’re careless. It’s because we haven’t been told.
For decades, heart disease was studied primarily in men. That means certain symptoms of heart trouble in women — like nausea, dizziness, back pain, or shortness of breath — often go overlooked or misdiagnosed.
Women are 50 percent more likely than men to be misdiagnosed during a heart attack. That’s partly because the symptoms we experience don’t always look like what most doctors are trained to spot.
Too often, they’re chalked up to anxiety, stress, or something less serious. And when that happens, care gets delayed. Sometimes, the consequences are serious.
Certain life stages can also increase your risk without warning. Conditions like gestational hypertension, preeclampsia during pregnancy, or even low birth weight babies can raise your chances of developing heart disease later on.
As a woman transitions towards menopause (perimenopause), the body produces less estrogen, a hormone that helps protect the heart. As estrogen levels drop, the risk of heart attack or stroke can rise, even if everything else stays the same.
Heart disease isn’t just hard on your health. It can also take a serious financial toll. The average annual cost to manage cardiovascular disease is more than $9,000 per person.
But with early intervention, consistent tracking, and support, many of those costs and the complications behind them are preventable.
And while the system hasn’t been built with women’s hearts in mind, that doesn’t mean we’re powerless.
What Makes a Difference? Small, Consistent Action
You don’t need to overhaul your life or become a heart health expert overnight. The most meaningful changes often come from small, steady steps, especially when you have tools that make it easier to take those steps every day.
That’s where Hello Heart comes in. We offer a suite of connected heart health solutions designed for women and their unique health needs. With the Hello Heart Monitor, Pill Box, and App, you can take real steps to manage your unique heart risks.
All together, the Hello Heart platform enables you to:
- Check your blood pressure at home using a connected monitor and see how it’s trending over time
- Track your medications with the Pill Box, a connected case that helps you stay on schedule and avoid missed doses
- Spot early warning signs before they become emergencies, and bring your tracked data to doctor visits so you can advocate for your health with confidence
- Access personalized digital coaching designed to support your goals and meet you where you are, whether you’re navigating menopause, managing high blood pressure, or simply trying to stay proactive
It’s heart health support that fits into your life without complicated setup, extra appointments, or guesswork.
Up to 80 percent of heart attacks and strokes are preventable with the right tools and support. And the earlier you start, the more control you have over the path ahead.
To see if you’re eligible for Hello Heart, visit join.helloheart.com and search for your sponsoring employer or health plan. You’ll be glad you took the first step. ❤️
References:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health. (n.d.). Heart disease. Women’s Health. https://womenshealth.gov/heart-disease-and-stroke/heart-disease
American Heart Association. (n.d.). Heart attack symptoms in women. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-attack/warning-signs-of-a-heart-attack/heart-attack-symptoms-in-women
British Heart Foundation. (2016, August). Women are 50% more likely than men to be given incorrect diagnosis following a heart attack. https://www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/news-from-the-bhf/news-archive/2016/august/women-are-50-per-cent-more-likely-than-men-to-be-given-incorrect-diagnosis-following-a-heart-attack
Ray, J. G., Vermeulen, M. J., Schull, M. J., & Redelmeier, D. A. (2017). Cardiovascular health after maternal placental syndromes (CHAMPS): Population-based retrospective cohort study. BMJ, 356, j1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28228456/
American Heart Association News. (2023, February 20). The connection between menopause and cardiovascular disease risks. https://www.heart.org/en/news/2023/02/20/the-connection-between-menopause-and-cardiovascular-disease-risks
Grana, J., Neumann, P. J., Cohen, J. T., & Ollendorf, D. A. (2025). Estimating the value of digital health interventions to improve adherence to cardiovascular medications. Value in Health. https://www.valueinhealthjournal.com/article/S1098-3015(25)00068-3/pdf
American Heart Association. (n.d.). How to help reduce your risk of another heart attack. https://www.heart.org/en/around-the-aha/how-to-help-reduce-your-risk-of-another-heart-attack
1. Gazit T, Gutman M, Beatty AL. Assessment of Hypertension Control Among Adults Participating in a Mobile Technology Blood Pressure Self-management Program. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(10):e2127008, https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.27008. Accessed October 19, 2022. (Some study authors are employed by Hello Heart. Because of the observational nature of the study, causal conclusions cannot be made. See additional important study limitations in the publication. This study showed that 108 participants with baseline blood pressure over 140/90 who had been enrolled in the program for 3 years and had application activity during weeks 148-163 were able to reduce their blood pressure by 21 mmHg using the Hello Heart program.) (2) Livongo Health, Inc. Form S-1 Registration Statement. https:/www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1639225/000119312519185159/d731249ds1.htm. Published June 28, 2019. Accessed October 19, 2022. (In a pilot study that lasted six weeks, individuals starting with a blood pressure of greater than 140/90 mmHg, on average, had a 10 mmHG reduction.) NOTE: This comparison is not based on a head-to-head study, and the difference in results may be due in part to different study protocols.
2. Validation Institute. 2021 Validation Report (Valid Through October 2022). https://validationinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Hello_Heart-Savings-2021- Final.pdf. Published October 2021. Accessed October 19, 2022. (This analysis was commissioned by Hello Heart, which provided a summary report of self-fundedemployer client medical claims data for 203 Hello Heart users and 200 non-users from 2017-2020. Findings have not been subjected to peer review.)
