While it is likely than women to have heart attacks, and have them earlier in life, women who have heart attacks are twice as likely to die from them. In fact, heart disease is the number one killer of women in North America. Each year in the U.S. alone, ten women die from heart disease for every one who dies from breast cancer. There are many risk factors for heart disease.
Cigarette smoking is the greatest risk factor for heart disease.
By causing blood vessels to constrict, smoking puts extra strain on the heart. A woman who smokes is 2 to 6 times more likely to have a heart attack than a woman who doesn't smoke. Women who smoke and concurrently take birth control pills containing both estrogen and progestin are at special risk. As with any medication, the risks must also be fully understood prior to starting therapy. Dr. Andrew Dott teaches advances hysteroscopic and laparoscopic surgical techniques, is on the speaker's panels for several American pharmaceutical companies and is a professional lecturer.