Stress Tests

As your heart works harder, such as during physical activity, any blockages in the coronary arteries can cause you to develop symptoms of heart disease. In a stress test, your healthcare provider will ask you to exercise or will give you a drug that mimics the effects of exercise, and will monitor your heart. Because hormones and other gender-related factors can affect exercise ECG testing, additional tests (including nuclear imaging or echocardiography) also may be used with a stress test to give your healthcare provider better information about your heart’s health.

• Exercise stress tests monitor your heart while you walk on a treadmill or pedal a stationary bike. How long you are able to exercise, your blood pressure, your ECG results, and how you feel when you exert yourself are observed and recorded during the test.
• For patients who are unable to exercise to an adequate heart rate, your doctor may decide to use a drug that has effects on the heart similar to exercise. This is called pharmacologic stress and is a recognized alternative to exercise for many women who are unable to perform the level of activity needed for an exercise stress test. Your doctor will decide which stress test you will receive.