Our Cardio-Obstetrics Clinic provides treatment and prevention for cardiovascular disease in women that are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant. During pregnancy, a woman's body undergoes many changes which includes their heart and vascular system. Some women diagnosed with cardiovascular disease may be at high-risk for pregnancy complications. The clinic also provides guidance and evaluation for women.

Microvascular angina occurs when small blood vessels in the heart's arteries begin to spasm which can cause chest pain, also known as angina. The Microvascular Angina Clinic is led by Erin Michos, M.D., which provides specialized treatment for this type of angina.

Learn more about microvascular angina.

The Oncology Cardiovascular Disease Clinic is led by Tala K Al-Talib, M.D., treats women for heart disease who have been treated for cancer, especially breast cancer. It's common for women that have been treated for cancer to develop some form of heart disease. The clinic provides a comprehensive approach to treating various heart conditions.

Our Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) clinic is led by Erin Michos, M.D., which provides diagnostics, treatment, and management of this condition. SCAD is when a blood vessel in the heart has a tear which can either slow or block the blood flow to the heart. This condition can cause heart arrhythmias, heart attacks and sudden death. SCAD commonly affects middle-aged and older women. Our clinic is multiple faculty affiliated, allowing patients to to see several different specialists at any of our Maryland locations.

Our menopause clinic led by Erin Michos, M.D. specializes in post-menopausal hormone therapy and vasomotor (hot flashes) management. The clinic takes referrals from Obstetrics and Gynecologists to determine the safety of menopausal hormone therapy for patients.

Our center conducts a thorough review of risk factors for each individual along with risk factors that pertain to women. We use a variety of assessment tools that help us classify individual risk levels and determine any evaluation and treatment that may be necessary.

Assessments begin with a telephone screening prior to your in-person appointment.

We do a comprehensive analysis to evaluate chest pain (angina) and other symptoms associated with heart disease in women, including:

• Indigestion
• Shortness of breath
• Back pain

For every evaluation, we study each patient’s individual history and risk factors before performing tests such as an EKG (electrocardiogram), or more sophisticated imaging scans such as coronary artery calcium score. During each evaluation visit, we’ll also determine which blood tests may be needed, such as hs-CRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein).

Our center is part of the Johns Hopkins Heart & Vascular Institute, an organization world-renowned for its innovative contributions to cardiovascular medicine. Our cardiologists are experienced in diagnosing and treating a broad spectrum of cardiovascular diseases.

Some of the conditions we treat at our center include:

• Coronary vasospasm
• Microvascular disease
• Palpitations
• Cardiovascular issues related to pregnancy

The following conditions may increase your risk for cardiovascular disease:

• Rheumatologic disease
• Diabetes
• Peripheral vascular disease
• Kidney disease
• Depression

Call us at 443-997-0270 to request an appointment.

Our lifestyle management program provides fitness services at the Johns Hopkins Cardiac Rehabilitation Center which is located at Green Spring Station and at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.

After an initial consultation, we’ll provide a personalized exercise program based on your fitness level and cardiovascular health background. Each program is developed and supervised by an experienced clinical exercise physiologist, and you can choose between small group classes or individualized training sessions.

Your progress is continually monitored, and programs are modified based on exercise goals and degree of cardiovascular risk.

Learn more about the cardiovascular benefits of exercise.

Our dietitians from the Department of Clinical Nutrition are available to counsel you about nutrition. We’ll coordinate your meeting with a personal nutrition expert, who will:

• Assess the quality and quantity of what you eat, and give you the tools to improve your eating habits
• Create a personalized diet instruction plan based on mutually determined goals
• Work with the rest of your health care team to manage and prevent disease

Learn more about the relationship between weight loss and lower cardiovascular risk.

Stress, depression, and anxiety have both direct and indirect effects on the heart, and women are at greater risk than men for developing these problems. Emotional or mental stress directly contributes to heart disease by increasing the risk of cardiac events. That’s why psychological evaluation and management are important components of our program.

Learn about depression and cardiovascular disease.