Cardiovascular Medicine

Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women. The experts of the Women's Heart Clinic treat and prevent heart disease while addressing the distinct concerns of women. You may go to the Women's Heart Clinic at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Florida or Minnesota.

Video

Watch Mayo cardiologists and others discuss women's heart health.

Services offered

Your visit to the Women's Heart Clinic may include:

• A comprehensive cardiac diagnostic evaluation. Doctors trained in heart disease (cardiologists) review your medical history and risk assessment report, conduct an initial cardiac exam, and order diagnostic tests. They consult with other specialists to develop the most appropriate treatment plan for you.
• A risk assessment. You'll complete a Mayo-developed questionnaire before your appointment to pinpoint individual risk factors for heart disease and other diseases common to women. The risk assessment reports become the basis of your heart disease prevention and treatment plan.
• Discussion about managing risk of heart disease. The established risk factors for heart disease are the same for men and women, but there are differences in how strongly they affect women. The health care team in the Women's Heart Clinic understands these differences and helps you and your primary doctors at home to manage your heart disease risks.
• Evaluation and management of heart conditions. Cardiologists will review your signs and symptoms and evaluate you to diagnose heart conditions. Doctors will work with you to manage many heart conditions, especially those which tend to affect women. Conditions evaluated include spontaneous coronary artery dissection, small vessel disease (microvascular angina), stress-induced cardiomyopathy (broken heart syndrome), peripheral artery disease, heart complications from preeclampsia, atrial fibrillation, diastolic heart failure and heart disease risk associated with autoimmune diseases.
• Education. A health care professional will guide you in making healthy lifestyle changes to help prevent or slow the progression of heart disease. Depending on your unique needs, staff may recommend high blood pressure and high cholesterol management strategies, a personalized exercise prescription, a healthy-eating plan, advice about how to quit smoking, and stress management techniques.

• Hormone therapy discussion. Postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT) isn't currently recommended to prevent or treat heart disease. But many women with or at risk of heart disease have menopausal symptoms or concerns about the use of hormone therapy for other problems and its effect on the heart.

  Hormone therapy continues to be researched. Staff will help you make careful decisions about this therapy based on your symptoms and the latest scientific information. The Women's Heart Clinic works closely with the Menopause and Women's Sexual Health Clinic at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to provide this service.

Coordinated care

In the Women's Heart Clinic, you'll have full access to Mayo Clinic's diagnostic, therapeutic and surgical services for heart disease and other conditions you may have. Doctors will coordinate your care with staff in several other areas as needed, including:

• Barbara Woodward Lips Patient Education Center at Mayo Clinic's campus in Minnesota.
• Breast Clinic.
• Cardiovascular Surgery.
• Cardiovascular Health Clinic.
• Cardiac Rehabilitation Program.
• Cardiovascular Obstetrics Clinic in Minnesota.
• Integrative Medicine and Health.
• Endocrinology.
• Executive Health Program.
• Menopause and Women's Sexual Health Clinic.
• Nephrology and Hypertension.
• Nicotine Dependence Center.
• Obstetrics and Gynecology.
• Pulmonary Medicine.
• Psychiatry and Psychology.
• Sports Cardiology Clinic.
• Transgender and Intersex Specialty Care Clinic in Minnesota.
• Vascular Medicine.

Innovative research

Doctors in the Women's Heart Clinic are active in research in many areas, including women's heart disease prevention, noninvasive testing to evaluate heart disease risk and optimal treatments for many common heart conditions in women. For example, physician-scientists are using artificial intelligence (AI) and digital tools for heart disease screening in women.

Learn more about women's heart health research in the Cardiovascular Research Center and the Women's Health Research Center.

Nationally recognized expertise

Mayo Clinic is top-ranked in more specialties than any other hospital and has been recognized as an Honor Roll member according to the U.S. News & World Report's 2024-2025 "Best Hospitals" rankings.

Mayo Clinic campuses are nationally recognized for expertise in cardiology and cardiovascular surgery:

• Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, and Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, are ranked among the Best Hospitals for heart and heart surgery by U.S. News & World Report.
• Mayo Clinic Children's Center in Rochester is ranked the No. 1 hospital in Minnesota, and the five-state region of Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2024–2025 "Best Children's Hospitals" rankings.