A new clinic aims to improve outcomes for Maine women facing heart disease. Lila Martin is a cardiologist at her Women's Heart Health clinic at MaineHealth. Much of what we know about heart health comes from studying data among white men, she says. “A lot of care for other people is inferred from that data,” Dr. Martin says. “As such, women are much more likely to go untreated for high blood pressure and more likely to have a poor outcome after a major heart attack.” This new clinic will study issues that specifically affect women. By doing so, we aim to change this situation. . Another area of focus is heart health during pregnancy. This is something many pregnant women don't think about, Dr. Martin says. “There are new risk factors that occur during pregnancy that can increase your risk of heart disease later in life,” says Dr. Martin. Martin. “That includes gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes, high blood sugar during pregnancy, premature birth, preeclampsia, and having more than five children.” Getting women to open up about their health issues can be difficult at times. But it helps to have staff who can empathize with what they're going through. Mary Toussaint, a medical assistant at the clinic, suffered a heart attack when she was just 47 years old. Mary said she had no previous problems with heart disease or high risk factors, so she initially ignored the signs that something was wrong. Her husband finally convinced her to get tested, and she ended up needing emergency bypass surgery. This is a story she often tells to the women who walk through her clinic's doors. “They're emotional, they're worried. There are many times I've been able to use my story to reassure them or show them some things.”Maine pregnant women do not have to wait to access the clinic. Dr. Martin said there will be a separate area set aside for pregnant women so they can quickly enter.
A new clinic aims to improve outcomes for Maine women facing heart disease.
Dr. Lila Martin is a cardiologist at MaineHealth's Women's Heart Health clinic. She says much of what we know about heart health comes from research data from white men.
“A lot of consideration for other populations was inferred from that data,” Dr. Martin says. “As a result, women are much more likely to miss treatment for high blood pressure or have a worse outcome after a major heart attack.”
This new clinic aims to change this by studying issues that particularly affect women. Another area of focus is heart health during pregnancy, something Dr. Martin says many pregnant women don't think about.
“New risk factors may develop during pregnancy that may increase your risk of heart disease later in life,” Dr. Martin says. “This includes high blood pressure during pregnancy, gestational diabetes, high blood sugar during pregnancy, premature birth, preeclampsia, and having more than five children.”
Getting women to open up about their health challenges can be difficult, but it helps to have staff who can empathize with what they're going through.
Mary Toussaint, a medical assistant at the clinic, suffered a heart attack at just 47 years old. Mary said she had no previous problems or high risk factors for heart disease, so she initially ignored signs that something was wrong. Her husband finally told her to get her checked out, and she ended up needing emergency bypass surgery. This is a story she often tells to the women who walk through the doors of her clinic.
“They are emotional and worried, and many times I have been able to use my own story to reassure them and show empathy,” Mary says.
Pregnant women in Maine don't have to wait to access the clinic. Dr. Martin said there will be a dedicated area for pregnant women so they can quickly enter.
