Cardiovascular Disease in Women remains under-recognized and underdiagnosed despite being the leading cause of death among women worldwide. This session examines how biological, hormonal, diagnostic, and societal factors all contribute to delayed detection, atypical presentations, and suboptimal treatment outcomes in women. Participants will explore sex-specific differences in atherosclerosis development, microvascular dysfunction, thrombosis, arrhythmia susceptibility, and heart failure phenotypes. Attendees will learn why traditional risk calculators may underestimate women’s risk and how pregnancy-related complications provide critical insights into lifelong cardiovascular vulnerability.

Clinicians increasingly look for a cardiology conference because sex differences require updated clinical pathways rather than simply applying male-oriented guidelines. This session reviews heart disease presentations unique or more common in women, including spontaneous coronary artery dissection, takotsubo cardiomyopathy, microvascular angina, and HFpEF. It also highlights diagnostic blind spots—such as non-obstructive ischemia and subtle ECG changes—that often lead to misdiagnosis or missed diagnoses. Through case-driven discussions, participants will examine how gender biases and social determinants of health influence both evaluation and treatment.

A major focus is improving women’s heart health management through evidence-based, sex-specific strategies. Participants will learn how to integrate menstrual history, pregnancy complications, menopause status, hormone therapies, and psychosocial stress into cardiovascular assessment. The session explores tailored prevention strategies, including lipid management nuances, hypertension control, risk modification in perimenopausal women, and the role of lifestyle interventions. Guidance on communicating risk effectively is emphasized, especially for younger women who may not perceive cardiovascular disease as a personal threat.

The session also addresses system-level improvements—creating women’s heart centers, embedding sex-specific algorithms into electronic medical records, improving imaging pathways for microvascular disease, and training clinicians to recognize subtle warning signs. By the end, participants will understand how to design clinical workflows that reduce diagnostic delays, personalize treatment, and deliver more equitable cardiovascular care to women across all life stages.