The American Heart Association's flagship journal, Circulation, has published a special Go Red for Women issue focused on advancing women's cardiovascular health, timed for American Heart Month 2026. The issue highlights critical research on pregnancy-related cardiovascular health, including how hypertensive disorders of pregnancy contribute to premature cardiovascular disease, the effects of discontinuing statins before pregnancy, and the impact of maternal smoking on children's blood pressure. These studies aim to address long-standing gaps in understanding how heart disease affects women differently than men.
A key feature is a new American Heart Association scientific statement on acute coronary syndromes in premenopausal women, which finds that these women often face delayed diagnosis and atypical symptom recognition, leading to worse outcomes compared to men. The statement encourages improved clinical awareness, tailored diagnostic strategies, and greater representation of women in research to close these gaps. Dr. Stacey Rosen, volunteer president of the American Heart Association, acknowledges the historical disparity in women's cardiovascular care and calls on researchers and clinicians to advocate for inclusive research and care.
The special issue includes original research on hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and premature cardiovascular disease in a diverse cohort of young U.S. women, polycystic ovarian syndrome and long-term arrhythmia risk, and a nationwide cohort study on statin discontinuation in pregnancy. Research letters cover topics such as maternal smoking during pregnancy and childhood blood pressure, aortic dissection in women with Turner syndrome, and a sex-stratified meta-analysis of clopidogrel versus aspirin in coronary artery disease.
Dr. Mercedes Carnethon, Circulation associate editor and special editor for the issue, states, “Cardiovascular care for women is being redefined from early life through older age. This year’s issue exemplifies this commitment, featuring an impressive collection of research articles and perspectives from around the world.” The issue also includes articles on expanding opportunities for women in clinical trials leadership and leveraging artificial intelligence to improve understanding of cardiovascular disease risk in women.
Dr. Rosen's article, “Redefining Cardiovascular Medicine: The Journey from ‘Does Sex Matter?’ to ‘How Does Sex Matter?’,” urges clinicians and researchers to integrate sex as a biological variable into cardiovascular research. She emphasizes, “Improving the cardiovascular health of women is a call to action for every clinician, researcher and educator to go beyond being an ally; to become an advocate or even an accomplice.”
The American Heart Association launched Go Red for Women in 2004 to address gaps in women's cardiovascular care. Funds raised support research, awareness, and education, and have equipped over 200,000 healthcare professionals with tools to improve women's health. According to the Association's 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, nearly 45% of women over age 20 live with some form of cardiovascular disease.
For more insights, Drs. Mercedes Carnethon and Sana Al-Khatib will host this week's episode of Circulation on the Run podcast to discuss the findings. The podcast is available on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. Full manuscripts from the special issue can be viewed here. Additional resources include the American Heart Association's scientific statement on acute coronary syndromes in premenopausal women here.
