Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of premature death in Canadian women. CVD prevention should be a priority across a woman’s lifespan. Evidence suggests “traditional” cardiovascular (CV) risk factors (e.g. diabetes, hypertension, smoking, dyslipidemia, and lifestyle factors) portend greater risk for CVD in women than men. Furthermore, multiple “novel” emerging risk factors (e.g. gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, PCOS, autoimmune diseases, breast cancer) have been identified as contributing to elevated CV risk over a woman’s reproductive lifespan. The lack of awareness and attention to all these risk factors from both a community/individual and health professional perspective is a missed opportunity to improve women’s CVD prevention, CV disease management and overall support. In this session we will explore how pharmacists have the unique opportunity to advocate for and implement strategies to improve women’s CV health at the coalface, and to ultimately help reduce the burden of CV disease in Canadian women.

Sponsored by: Bios