Awareness of heart disease symptoms and risk factors can save lives. But a recent study showed that some women were lacking this vital knowledge.

Your health care provider may emphasize the importance of exercise, but exactly how important is physical activity for staying healthy?

Estrogen — a hormone used to treat symptoms of menopause — has been shown to increase the risk for certain cancers. But other questions about the safety of estrogen therapy remain. For example, is it safe for the heart?

When body mass index is high, so is the likelihood of heart attack or stroke. Obesity, however, isn’t just an older person’s problem. The threat extends to individuals who are much younger.

Adriamycin ( doxorubicin ) can be a good chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer. But, for some women, it can lead to heart damage. A recent study found a way to predict who is at risk.

Women, especially those that are younger, are more likely to suffer a heart attack without painful chest symptoms. A new study suggests they also are less likely to survive.

Menopause, which is the end of menstruation and fertility, causes many changes in a women’s health. A new study shows that a hormone may help fight age-related arterial stiffness, a condition that’s associated with menopause.

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) affects men and women nearly equally. Yet women are still more likely to go undiagnosed, even though the serious circulatory disease can nearly triple their risk of stroke and heart attack.

Physical or sexual abuse can leave lingering emotional scars on young girls. Such abuse also may affect them physically -- increasing their risk for heart disease, including heart attacks and strokes, once they become adults.

When it comes to a heart attack men and women display differing symptoms. The differences don't end there. Women may have more difficulty recovering after a heart attack and their quality of life may be worse.