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Hello, girls! We have good and bad news.
The bad news is that heart disease is still the leading cause of death among women in the US (we’d like to see that change, but it hasn’t yet).
The good news is that the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association released new guidelines this year that provide more personalized care to prevent heart attacks and strokes.
The 2026 ACC-AHA Multisociety Guideline for Dyslipidemia Management was developed with nine other medical organizations and focuses on earlier identification of risks and more aggressive treatment of high cholesterol.
We put together this document to break down five important things women should know about these new guidelines.
- IMPEDE. Your likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) will now be assessed by your doctor using a risk calculator called PREVENT. This score can help you and your doctor decide whether medication might be a good option for you, even if you have no symptoms or feel like your health is perfect.
- Lp(a). The new guidelines suggest that everyone should have a lipoprotein(a) or Lp(a) blood test once. Lp(a) is an inherited type of lipoprotein (a particle in your blood that carries cholesterol throughout your body) that may increase your risk of heart attacks and strokes. And while you can’t change your Lp(a) directly, knowing your risk can help you make other decisions, such as: Such as taking medications and lifestyle changes to reduce your overall risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Personalized cholesterol levels. Your ideal cholesterol level is no longer universal. Your desired level of LDL cholesterol (also called “bad cholesterol”) now depends on your personal circumstances, such as whether you have had a previous cardiovascular event or whether you have other conditions that put you at higher risk, such as diabetes or obesity.
Read: Do the work of your heart >>
- Coronary calcium CT scan If you and your doctor are considering a cholesterol control medication for you and you are over 45 years old (40 years for men), the new guidelines encourage doctors to recommend a coronary calcium CT scan, a CT scan that measures the calcium content of your arteries, which may help in making the decision.
- Statins are not the only option. If you and your doctor determine that you need medication to control your cholesterol levels, options other than statins may be available, depending on your personal risk profile.
