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Cardiolucent

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Women's Heart Health and Peripartum Cardiovascular Care

Assessments & Care Plans

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women, but it often looks different than it does in men — symptoms can be subtler, pregnancy-related risk factors aren't reflected in standard calculators, and women are more likely to be under-diagnosed. Dr. Kedan provides women-focused cardiovascular care that recognizes those differences and structures the workup around them, including peripartum cardiomyopathy evaluation, preeclampsia follow-up, and menopause-related cardiovascular planning.

What's Included

  • Detailed reproductive and pregnancy history integrated into risk assessment
  • Advanced lipid panel including ApoB and Lp(a) calibrated to women's risk
  • Echocardiography and POCUS for peripartum cardiomyopathy evaluation
  • Blood pressure and cardiovascular monitoring during and after pregnancy
  • Structured follow-up after preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, or gestational diabetes
  • Menopause-focused risk re-baselining — lipids, metabolic markers, body composition
  • Coronary calcium scoring in midlife when indicated to refine prevention decisions

How This Helps You

Pregnancy is a cardiovascular stress test, and complications like preeclampsia or gestational diabetes roughly double future risk of heart disease and stroke — yet that history rarely changes how aggressively women are screened later in life. Menopause shifts lipids, body composition, and vascular function and is an underused window for intervention. A women-focused plan turns these life-stage signals into targeted prevention.

Who This Is For

  • Women with a history of preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, or gestational diabetes
  • Women with prior preterm delivery or pregnancy-related cardiovascular complications
  • Patients with new symptoms — shortness of breath, swelling, fatigue — during pregnancy or postpartum
  • Women approaching or in menopause who want to re-baseline cardiovascular risk
  • Women with prior cardiac conditions planning or navigating pregnancy
  • Patients with atypical chest discomfort, fatigue, or jaw/back pain that has been dismissed
  • Women with family history of premature heart disease, especially in female relatives

What to Expect at Your Visit

Visits run 60+ minutes and include a detailed reproductive and cardiovascular history, focused exam, POCUS, EKG, and same-day echocardiogram when indicated. During pregnancy, care coordinates directly with your obstetrician so management decisions are made jointly. After preeclampsia or other pregnancy complications, Dr. Kedan builds a long-term prevention plan with blood pressure monitoring, lipid and metabolic testing, and imaging tailored to that history.

Why Cardiolucent

Women-focused cardiology requires time to take a full reproductive history and to take subtler symptom presentations seriously — both of which are scarce in conventional practice. The Cedars-Sinai affiliation supports seamless coordination with maternal-fetal medicine and obstetrics if hospital-based care becomes necessary. Dr. Kedan personally handles every visit, so the same physician follows you through the pregnancy, postpartum, and menopausal transitions where continuity matters most.

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do women need specialized cardiovascular care?
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women, but it often looks different than it does in men — symptoms can be subtler, risk factors like pregnancy complications and menopause aren't reflected in standard risk calculators, and women are more likely to be under-diagnosed. Specialized care means recognizing those differences instead of applying a male-default template. Dr. Kedan structures evaluations to surface the risks women are most likely to have missed.
What is peripartum cardiomyopathy?
Peripartum cardiomyopathy is a form of heart failure that develops in the last month of pregnancy or within several months after delivery. It's uncommon but serious, and early identification dramatically improves outcomes. Dr. Kedan evaluates new symptoms like unexplained shortness of breath, swelling, or fatigue in this window with echocardiography and biomarker testing rather than dismissing them as normal postpartum changes.
How does pregnancy affect my long-term heart health?
Pregnancy is a cardiovascular stress test. Complications like preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes, or preterm delivery roughly double future risk of heart disease and stroke. That history should change how aggressively you're screened in your 30s, 40s, and beyond — which usually doesn't happen in standard primary care. A focused cardiovascular plan after these pregnancies makes a measurable difference.
Should I see a cardiologist after a preeclampsia diagnosis?
Yes — current cardiology guidance recommends cardiovascular risk assessment in the months and years after preeclampsia, even if blood pressure normalizes. Dr. Kedan provides a focused evaluation with blood pressure monitoring, lipid and metabolic testing, imaging when appropriate, and a long-term prevention plan tailored to that history. Schedule a consultation to start that workup.
Can I see Dr. Kedan during pregnancy?
Yes. Cardiovascular monitoring during and after pregnancy is part of the practice, particularly for women with prior cardiac conditions, hypertension, or pregnancy-related complications. Visits coordinate with your obstetrician so management decisions are made jointly rather than in parallel. The Cedars-Sinai affiliation also supports seamless coordination if hospital-based care is needed.
How does menopause change cardiovascular risk?
Loss of estrogen during menopause is associated with shifts in lipids, body composition, blood pressure, and vascular function — all of which raise cardiovascular risk. The years around menopause are an underused opportunity to re-baseline heart health and intervene before symptoms appear. Dr. Kedan's menopause-focused evaluation includes lipid panels, imaging where indicated, and a tailored prevention plan.
Do women experience heart attack symptoms differently?
Often, yes. Women are more likely to present with fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea, back or jaw pain, and atypical chest discomfort rather than the textbook crushing chest pain. Those symptoms are too often attributed to stress or anxiety. Part of women-focused cardiology is taking those presentations seriously and using imaging and biomarkers to rule cardiac causes in or out definitively.
What testing should women have to assess heart risk?
A women-focused workup typically includes a detailed reproductive and pregnancy history, blood pressure assessment, advanced lipid panel including ApoB and Lp(a), metabolic markers, and echocardiography. Coronary calcium scoring is often added in midlife to refine risk before deciding on medication. Dr. Kedan tailors the panel to your specific history rather than running a generic battery.
Is this care covered by insurance?
Cardiolucent does not accept Medicare or insurance and bills patients directly. We provide a detailed superbill for out-of-network reimbursement, and many pregnancy-related and preventive labs are still covered through your standard insurance when ordered with appropriate diagnoses. Call (310) 304-5555 for billing specifics.

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Medical Disclaimer

The information on this site is for general educational purposes only and is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Reading this site does not create a doctor–patient relationship. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for personal guidance. If this is an emergency, call 911. Mentions of medications, devices, or procedures are informational and not endorsements. Full medical disclaimer.

†Some listed indications involve investigational/off-label use. Learn more.