Stroke management in women. Stroke is among the most important causes of death and disability for both women and men worldwide. Although stroke and cardiovascular disease are often considered primarily conditions of men, more women than men die from stroke each year, and women who survive have worse outcomes than men. Fortunately, clinical trials have shown that there are a variety of interventions that can improve stroke outcomes and reduce the risk of recurrent stroke, and the majority of these are effective in both women and men. Certain causes of stroke are unique to women (strokes in pregnancy) or more common in women (strokes associated with migraine headaches); however, a detailed discussion of these specific causes of stroke is beyond the scope of this review. The focus of this article is an overview of some of the key issues related to the management of stroke in women.