Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Carmel Women's Heart Risk Clinic, Pelvic Health & Menopause Care

If you need more advanced care for rare and complex heart conditions, your care team at Ascension St. Vincent will help you schedule appointments and connect you with care that’s right for you, including:

• Experienced cardiovascular surgeons and specialists who listen to your needs
• Leading technologies and advanced care including diagnostic testing, surgical and non-surgical treatments 
• Connection to follow-up care and cardiac rehabilitation to get you back to your life

For women who have new or pre-existing heart symptoms or conditions during pregnancy, including high blood pressure, our specially trained cardiologists provide the advanced perinatal cardiac care you need. Your doctor uses advanced tests and heart monitoring for mom and baby to help manage your heart condition and help prevent complications in pregnancy, such as preeclampsia. Your heart care team, along with your OB-GYN and your maternal-fetal medicine specialists, deliver comprehensive care during your pregnancy, labor, delivery, and postpartum care.

Talk with your OB-GYN immediately if you are experiencing symptoms, including labored breathing, chest pain, coughing at night and heart palpitations during your pregnancy. And when in doubt, call 911 or go to the ER right away. Anytime you need more advanced care during your pregnancy, your OB-GYN can connect you with heart care specialists.

If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, go directly to the ER or dial 911.

At the Women’s Heart Risk Clinic, our women’s heart care program is part of a comprehensive approach to heart and vascular care that is specific to women. Your doctor may check your blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol or recommend a heart scan to measure for calcium-containing plaque in your arteries. Knowing if you’re at risk for heart disease could save your life. And a simple heart screening can help you and your doctor better understand your heart health.

A heart scan is not for everyone. It is not recommended for routine screening of people who do not have symptoms of heart disease and have a low risk of heart attacks. Heart disease risk factors include hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, tobacco use, family history of heart disease.

Your cardiologist has the expertise to recognize the subtle signs of heart disease found in women. We diagnose and treat women who have:

• Risk factors for heart disease, but no symptoms
• A history of heart disease and symptoms, such as irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure and high cholesterol
• A significant risk of having a cardiac event in the future

Your primary women’s heart care team may include cardiologists, cardiology nurse practitioners, dietitians and women’s health specialists. Using diagnostic cardiac imaging, lab tests and a customized cardiac assessment, your doctor delivers advanced care for all types of heart disease, including conditions that commonly affect women such as:

• Chronic chest pain
• Diabetes-related heart disease
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Mitral heart valve disease
• Pregnancy-induced heart conditions

Heart attacks don’t always start with severe chest pain. Women may have more subtle warning signs than men when they are having a heart attack. Some heart attacks begin suddenly, while others start with mild discomfort. Taking immediate action once you recognize the symptoms is the most important thing you can do to get lifesaving care. Watch for these symptoms in both women, and men:

• Chest discomfort, pressure or pain
• Difficulty breathing independent of activity
• Lightheadedness or loss of consciousness
• New weakness or fatigue
• Rapid or irregular heartbeat
• Sudden arm (particularly left arm), jaw, neck or back pain

If you are experiencing chest pain, especially in combination with jaw or arm pain, lightheadedness, nausea, vomiting or difficulty breathing, you might be having a heart attack. Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room right away.

Getting the right heart care at the right time can make a difference during a heart emergency. Doctors, nurses and care teams in our emergency rooms work quickly to deliver care that’s right for you. At Ascension St. Vincent Joint Commission-certified Chest Pain Centers, your heart specialists work closely with your emergency care team to deliver heart care when and where you need it. Find emergency care nearby.

Weak pelvic muscles and tissue tears can cause pelvic floor disorders and affect your bowel, bladder, uterus, vagina and rectum. When your organs are not properly supported by strong muscles, your bladder or bowel can leak, a condition called incontinence. 

For many women, it may feel embarrassing or uncomfortable to talk about conditions such as rectal pain, sexual discomfort and urinary frequency. We provide compassionate and supportive care to deliver treatment options for women at any stage of life. Urogynecologists treat many types of pelvic concerns, including:

• Bladder leaks
• Bladder pain
• Constipation
• Fecal incontinence
• Nerve damage and pelvic injuries
• Pelvic organ prolapse
• Pelvic pain
• Sexual dysfunction and pain
• Urinary frequency and menopause
• Urologic changes after a surgery
• Weight gain and pelvic health

Our doctors specialize in gynecologic surgery, urologic surgery and pelvic reconstruction. Urogynecologic surgery helps repair a muscle tear, organ damage, bladder prolapse and remove uterine fibroids. Your care team helps you understand what to expect, before, during and after surgery. Minimally invasive surgical techniques [and robotic-assisted systems] are used whenever possible. These techniques may help reduce your discomfort and shorten your recovery. Surgical treatments may include:

• Anal sphincter repair to tighten the ring of muscles around the anus
• Bladder sling to help support the bladder from prolapsing into the vagina
• Laparoscopic hysterectomy, a minimally invasive procedure to remove your uterus and repair reproductive organs
• Repair abnormal tissue between the bladder and vagina
• Stimulate the nerves that control the bladder

If you have a pelvic floor, your doctor may use an implantable device, called a pessary, to provide bladder support and manage incontinence. Medications, behavioral health counseling, biofeedback, e-stim, and urge suppression are other treatments for pelvic floor disorders.

Pelvic floor therapy is available at Ascension St. Vincent from certified physical therapy specialists. Care teams help strengthen your pelvic floor muscles with targeted pelvic therapy exercises. Other related women’s health services include nutritionists and exercise specialists who provide supportive care to help improve your quality of life. We can also help connect you with wellness and fitness programs that support your overall health.