Pregnancy & Heart Health
Your pregnancy history can contain clues about your future health.
EXPLORE THE RESOURCEWOMEN’S HEART HEALTH, CONNECTED
BUILD YOUR RESERVE.
HEART RESERVE helps women connect their health history to their heart health—and prepare better questions for their clinician.
Bring your history and questions together in a free summary for your next appointment.
No email required. Save or print your summary.
Author · Patient Advocate
Your history belongs in the conversation
Does this sound like me?
You do not need to have it all figured out to begin.
- PAST
“My pregnancy was years ago. Does it still matter to my heart?”
- PRESENT
“My hormones, numbers or fitness are changing. What belongs in the conversation?”
- NEXT
“I have pieces of my history in different places. How do I explain the whole story?”
Pregnancy. Hormones. Family history. Blood pressure. Cholesterol. Symptoms. Testing. Strength. Fitness.
They may have happened years apart. They still belong in the same heart story.
Start here
Build your Heart Story.
Bring it to your next visit.
Your history may be scattered across years, tests and appointments. This free guided tool brings the details and your questions into one summary, so you can start a clearer conversation about what matters now.
Add your history.
Gather pregnancy, hormone and family history, symptoms, test results and changes in fitness. Include what you know; skip what you do not.
Choose your questions.
Note what has changed, what concerns you and what you most want to understand, so your priorities are part of the conversation.
Save your summary.
Save or print your Heart Story. Bring it to your clinician to discuss which details matter and agree on next steps together.
Build My Heart Story
Free. No email required.
Answer only the sections that matter to you.
Different starting points. One Heart Story.
Blood Sugar & Your Heart
Pregnancy, menopause, family history and your numbers can be connected. Put the pieces in one place and know what to ask next.
BUILD MY STORYHEART RESERVE Midlife Check
Bring the important pieces of your health history and current numbers together.
OPEN THE MIDLIFE CHECKBuild a better heart now.
Build for the life
you want ahead.
Reserve is the strength and capacity you build and preserve for what comes next.
Knowing your history helps you prepare. Asking questions helps you take an active part in your care. Building strength and fitness is something to work on with a plan that fits your health and your life.
Know your story. Build your reserve.
Understand what matters
What belongs in
your heart story?
Start with the health history guide, then explore the questions women are asking now.
Start Here
What belongs in your heart history?
Your heart history is bigger than today’s blood pressure or cholesterol result. Pregnancy, menopause, family history, blood sugar, symptoms, old tests and even changes in what your body can do may belong in the same story.
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Why I created HEART RESERVE
Tell your story.
Change what happens next.
Another mother’s story helped me find my next step.
When my sons’ lives were uncertain, other mothers shared their stories with me. Those connections gave me hope, helped me ask better questions, and helped me find the people who changed the course of our story.
For years, I thought of that pregnancy as my sons’ story. Later, sitting on the patient side of an exam room, I began to ask which parts of it still mattered to me.
I created HEART RESERVE to help women find the words for their experiences, learn from one another, and bring a fuller history into conversations with their clinicians. Your story deserves to be heard, and your next steps should be decided together.
Lisa Zahakos, PA-C
Founder of HEART RESERVE · Mother of four
The book · Lisa Zahakos, PA-C
HEART RESERVE
What Your Past Reveals About Your Heart—and What to Do Next
Know your story. Build your reserve. A practical guide to bringing your history into the room, choosing one or two priorities with your clinician, and checking whether the plan helped.
Completed manuscript. Publication details to come.
Explore the bookThe proposed initiative
Pregnancy Is
Heart History.
Carrying pregnancy history into long-term cardiovascular care. Seeking independent review. No pilot is currently active.
Explore the initiative
Your story is the starting point.
Know your story.
Build your reserve.
Build My Heart Story
Free. No email required.
Save or print your summary.