Mae Centeno, DNP, RN, CCRN, CCNS, ACNS-BC

Women with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) are often of childbearing age and outnumber males with IPAH by a 4:1 ratio.¹ All patients with PAH should have a primary care provider, but in some cases the PH provider may be the only health care professional that the PH patient is seeing on a regular basis. Therefore, while the primary focus is on the treatment of PH, routine preventive care should also be incorporated. This article will examine important preventive health care strategies for patients with PH, with a special focus on women's issues. Topics covered include immunization; counseling on tobacco, alcohol, and drug avoidance; screening for osteoporosis, breast cancer, cervical cancer, sexually transmitted disease, and colorectal cancer; and pregnancy prevention. A summary of select U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) screening recommendations is listed in Table 1.

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