Women's Heart Alliance

FAQs

What is BARBRA?

BARBRA is an AI support tool that was designed to give women trusted, unbiased information about their heart health. BARBRA was named after Women’s Heart Alliance co-founder Barbra Streisand, who has fought for decades to close the gap in how heart disease is researched, recognized, and treated in women.
How can I use BARBRA to support my heart health?

Think of BARBRA as a trusted guide who can answer anything you want to know about heart disease and how to live a heart-healthy life. You can ask her questions about symptoms, common heart conditions, food and recipes, exercise, and treatments.
Why should I trust the information that I get from the BARBRA AI tool?

All the information used in BARBRA has been vetted by a core team of women cardiologists and draws on trusted content from the American Academy of Cardiology. In addition, the AI platform we’ve used to build BARBRA is a hybrid language model that aligns with established scientific frameworks and is validated by a medical board. The platform has been used by a dozen women’s health and wellness companies as the base for patient-facing AI tools.
What are the limitations of BARBRA and what can't she do?

BARBRA is an AI information tool and is not a licensed health care provider. The information it provides is for general informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or a doctor–patient relationship. BARBRA does not replace the judgment or care of a physician or other qualified health professional.
You should always consult your doctor or other qualified health provider with any questions you have about your health, symptoms, or treatment, and never ignore or delay seeking professional medical advice because of information you received from BARBRA. If you think you may be experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 immediately.

About Women’s Heart Alliance

Our mission is to empower women directly to understand their risks of heart disease, recognize their symptoms, and advocate for their health. Through our national campaigns we urge women to get heart checked and to speak up when they are not being heard. We turn awareness into prevention, and prevention into lives saved.

ABOUT US

Women’s Heart Alliance is getting the word out about the crisis of misdiagnosis. Watch our video and learn more about how to advocate for your heart health.

2025 Cardiologist Survey

Survey findings below are based on a survey of 88 female cardiologists conducted 11/5/24 – 1/6/25.

Most women aren't aware of the unique signs of heart disease; cardiologists say stomach pain (91%), sweating (85%) and fatigue (84%) are the most ignored.

Only 1 in 4 women treated by cardiologists know that heart disease is their #1 killer. This is dangerous, life-or-death knowledge gap that's putting women at risk every single day.

Heart disease does not discriminate based on age. 67% of female cardiologists revealed they were treating more young women than they did five years ago.

84% of female cardiologists reported treating female patients within the past year who had been misdiagnosed by other healthcare providers.

Stories of Misdiagnosis

Stories of women whose heart disease symptoms were overlooked, dismissed or misdiagnosed are all too common.

"The EMT advised me to breathe into a bag. He said I was having a panic attack."
—Debbie Dunn
"A cardiologist said to me 'Young lady, it's not your heart. I'm sending you back to your doctor to have your nerves checked.'"
—Vicky Ventura
"I was told I was having mini panic attacks, which were causing my nausea, dizziness, and pounding heart."
—KC Maurer
Share Your Story

6Unique Signs of
Heart Attack in Women

CHEST PAIN OR PRESSURE

SHORTNESS OF BREATH

NAUSEA OR VOMITING

EXTREME FATIGUE

JAW, THROAT, BACK, ARM OR NECK PAIN

Women's symptoms of heart attack often are different and more subtle than men's.

Download a list of heart attack symptoms unique to women and questions to ask doctors to your phone.

DOWNLOAD PHONE CARD

“Many women go to the hospital with chest pain but they often aren’t tested for a heart attack because doctors felt they were low-risk. And they are considered low-risk because their heart disease symptoms are different than the symptoms men experience.”

— Dr. Noel Bairey Merz, WHA Scientific Advisor, Director of the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

“Most of what we know about heart disease has come from research done on men, designed for men. And this has greatly benefited men, but women have not fared as well.”

— Dr. Holly Andersen, WHA Medical Advisor, and director of education and outreach at the Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute and attending cardiologist at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center

“The time is ripe for a great leap forward on behalf of gender equity… Everywhere you turn today, women – and their allies – are stepping up and speaking out.”

— Barbra Streisand, Co-Founder of the Women’s Heart Alliance