We all know the usual suspects (high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes) that increase your chances for cardiovascular and heart disease. Experts say that women — and often primary-care physicians — aren't paying as much attention to other risk factors as they should. Woman's Day magazine outlines risk factors no one should ignore, including:

• Family history: Yes, it matters — a lot. It's not enough just to know whether any relatives had a heart attack or died of heart disease. You also need to find out if anyone has had angina, stroke, peripheral artery disease and bypass surgery. A family history of these conditions raises your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

• Emotional well-being: People who are depressed have a two-to-five fold increased risk of heart disease. Those who are depressed have higher cortisol levels and higher platelet stickiness, which can increase the risk of blood clots.

• Pregnancy-related health issues: If you had gestational diabetes during pregnancy, you have a 50 percent chance of developing type 2 diabetes within ten years, which in turn raises your risk of heart disease.

• Oral health: It might seem like a stretch, but research has found a consistent link between gum disease and heart disease, possibly through the role of inflammation. Researchers found that women with gum disease had twice the risk of having a heart attack as those who didn't have gum disease.