Grant: Chair: Women Heart and Brain Health - Women's Heart/Brain Hlth (Mid-Career)

Right now, in Canada, women with a high blood pressure disorder in pregnancy (HDP) are 2-5 times more likely to have a heart attack or storke before the age of 40 and die prematurely before they reach 60 years old. Half of the doctors in Canda aren't aware fo this higher risk - whihc is probably why only nine in ten women with a HDP aren't told by their doctores that they have a higher than average risk of heart disease or stroke. If women dn't know they are at risk, how can they to take charge of their health to lower their risk of a heart attack or stroke until it's too late? Clearly, we need to find better ways to prevent thousands of young women from having heart attacks and strokes. We need to keep them healthy - for their sake and for the sake of theri famile - and we need to do it now. While we don't know the best ways to make a difference, we need to start somewhere. We can use information on the best ways to prevent hear attacks and strokes in people over 50 (like checking for high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes) to see if it works as well in young women. We also need to figure out the best places and times to see new moms - as we know about half can't make it to their doctor's appointments. The IMPROVE study team is ready to start answering some of these hard questions - to start making a difference now.