Heart Health

Heart to Heart Program

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in Iowa, as well as in the nation. Eight times as many women die of heart disease than breast cancer.

Mercy Women’s Center offers heart disease information, education, screening and treatment for women of all ages. Mercy also offers the Heart to Heart program through the Women’s Center to help women fight this “silent epidemic.”

Heart to Heart is designed to raise awareness and educate women about heart disease, and identify, and even prevent, women’s heart disease through screenings and early detection.

The Heart to Heart assessment gives women a personalized print-out with information to use and guidelines to follow.

For $35 and one hour of your time, you can find out if you are at risk of heart disease. Call the Mercy Women’s Center for an appointment or more information at 319-398-6821.

It’s important to know that the symptoms of heart disease and heart attack may be different for women than for men. Learn these warning signs:

• Chest pain or a feeling of pressure that comes and goes
• Pain or discomfort in upper back, arms, shoulders, neck and/or jaw
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Unexplained feelings of anxiety, fatigue or weakness
• Nausea, dizziness or breaking out in a cold sweat

According to the American Heart Association:

• Women who have heart attacks are twice as likely as men to die within the first few weeks.
• 38 percent of women die within a year after a heart attack, compared to 31 percent of men.
• About 22 million women smoke; their risk of heart attack is as much as six times that of a non-smoker. 

You can reduce your risk of heart disease if you maintain ideal body weight, walk 30 to 60 minutes a day at least three times a week, quit smoking, follow a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet and seek treatment if you have high blood pressure. If you have diabetes, keep your blood sugar under control.