7 Heart Attack Symptoms in Women

A heart attack (myocardial infarction) occurs if blood cannot reach your heart. About 80% of people who experience a heart attack report chest pain. Other heart attack symptoms can vary between men and women. Women, for example, are likelier to develop symptoms like back or jaw pain, indigestion, nausea, and pain down the left arm.

Heart disease is the number one cause of death for women in the United States, accounting for about one in five women's deaths in 2020. That year alone, 314,186 women died from heart disease. Read on to learn the signs of a heart attack in women and when to get emergency medical attention.

Symptoms 

What are the first signs of heart attack in a woman? The most common sign of a heart attack is chest pain. You may also experience back or jaw pain, shortness of breath, nausea, and vomiting.

Women are more likely to have silent (mini) heart attacks than men. These heart attacks cause minimal symptoms that are easy to overlook. Mini-heart attack symptoms include extreme fatigue, indigestion, and muscle pain in your chest or upper back.

Keep in mind that many heart attack symptoms can be signs of less severe health concerns. These include a panic attack, anemia (a lack of oxygen-rich red blood cells), dehydration, and lack of sleep. It's only likely a heart attack if multiple symptoms occur at the same time.

Heart attack symptoms in women may include:

1. Digestive symptoms: Women have nausea in 34% of cases of heart attacks, compared to only 22% of cases in men. Other digestive symptoms include indigestion, heartburn, and vomiting. You may also have a burning or stabbing pain in the upper-middle area of your stomach. Indigestion associated with a heart attack typically does not start shortly after a meal.
2. Discomfort or burning in the chest: Women often describe a heart attack as tightness, heaviness, or pressure in the chest. It may feel like someone is squeezing your heart. Your pain may feel sharp (or stabbing), crushing, or burning. Pain that radiates to your arm or jaw, lasts for more than 10 minutes, and occurs with minimal exertion is a "typical" presentation of a heart attack.
3. Dizziness or lightheadedness: Feeling faint or lightheaded for no apparent reason might mean blood is not getting to your heart. These signs may signal a heart attack if they occur with a cold sweat and nausea. Remember, these symptoms are common with dehydration, motion sickness, or getting up too quickly.
4. Extreme fatigue: It could be a sign that blood is not getting to your heart if you are unable to walk a block comfortably or if you feel like you have to stop and rest often. Some people describe fatigue as a lack of energy, exhaustion, mental fog, and sleepiness. Your arms might feel weak or heavy, and you may feel irritable or demoralized. The feeling can be overwhelming.
5. Jaw pain: This pain can occur intermittently and get worse when you exert yourself. Jaw pain can also radiate to your neck, back, arm, or shoulder.
6. Shortness of breath: This typically occurs during or before chest discomfort and may be the only symptom. Shortness of breath can signal that something is wrong if it occurs while resting or doing light physical activities.
7. Tingling down one or both arms or legs: This often means you have a pinched nerve or arthritis in your neck, but it's important to rule out heart problems first. See a healthcare provider if you notice any tingling in your extremities.

Causes and Risk Factors

A heart attack happens if the flow of blood that brings oxygen to the heart muscle suddenly becomes blocked. The heart muscle begins to die if your heart does not get enough oxygen, so prompt medical care is essential.

This blood flow most often gets blocked when plaque (fatty deposit) builds up in the vessels. These vessels carry blood from your heart to other body parts. An area of the plaque can break open, causing a blood clot and blocking the blood flow. This happens because of coronary artery disease (CAD), the most common type of heart disease. Other heart and blood vessel conditions may cause heart attacks in different ways.

Women may have heart attacks at older ages than men. Specific risk factors include:

• High blood pressure
• High blood sugar
• High cholesterol
• Obesity
• Smoking
• Stress

When To Contact a Healthcare Provider

A heart attack is an emergency, so contact a healthcare provider right away if you or someone near you develops symptoms. It's safest to call 911 or have someone drive you to the nearest emergency room.

Contact a healthcare provider right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or heart disease and:

• Chest pain that lasts longer than five minutes or does not go away after taking nitroglycerin (a vasodilator, which opens blood vessels)
• Extreme shortness of breath
• Might have lost consciousness

When To Seek Emergency Medical Attention

Do not dismiss heart attack symptoms as nothing or drive yourself to the hospital. Call 911 and seek medical attention right away if you or someone near you:

• Has sudden chest pain and other heart attack symptoms
• Is unresponsive
• Stops breathing

How To Reduce Your Risk

There's no sure way to prevent a heart attack. Some risk factors, such as age and family history, are unchangeable.

Ways to reduce your risk include:

• Being physically active: Aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, jogging, and swimming, helps strengthen your heart. Exercise also helps improve blood flow, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and maintain weight.
• Eating heart-healthy foods: These include fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. Limit your intake of added sugar, high-sodium foods, and saturated fats.
• Learning to manage your stress: Chronic (long-term) stress can raise your blood pressure, a significant heart attack risk factor. Try breathing deeply, listening to calming music, and meditating to relax.
• Losing weight and keeping a healthy weight: Diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure are common in people who are overweight or have obesity. You can lower your risk of heart disease by losing and maintaining weight.
• Not smoking: Smoking increases your blood pressure. It can be difficult to quit smoking, but a healthcare provider can help you.

A Quick Review

The most common heart attack symptom in women is chest pain, pressure, or discomfort. Women are more likely than men to have other symptoms, such as a racing heart, extreme fatigue, and tingling or pain down one or both arms or legs. Risk factors for women include having high blood pressure, high blood sugar, or high cholesterol.

Do not wait it out or dismiss these symptoms if multiple occur together. Call 911 or have someone drive you to a hospital right away if you think you are having a heart attack.