Hidden Heart Attack Signs in Women

Many women are under the impression that a heart attack is not their greatest risk, but this could not be further from the truth. A very real threat to a woman's life is a heart attack or Myocardial Infarction (MI). As a woman gets older, hormonal changes take place during menopause that serve to increase her risks for heart disease leading to a heart attack. You can substantially increase your chances of survival by knowing your risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

The leading killer of woman in the US is cardiovascular disease, and tops the death rates for breast, cervical, and ovarian cancers combined.

Subtle Warning Signs of A Heart Attack

Clinical studies show that many women experience early signs of an impending heart attack, but these signs go largely ignored because they are considered to be normal. Surprisingly, unusual fatique and sleep disturbances should sound an alarm.

Fatique: Let's face it, we are all tired sometimes when we've had a particularly busy week. No one is a stranger to feeling tired and exhausted. That's common, but women who have had a heart attack reported feeling unusually tired in the days and weeks before their attacks.

Sleep disturbances - women should take special notice of any unusual or prolonged disturbance in their sleep patterns. A recent study revealed that almost half of the women who had recently suffered a heart attack also experienced sleep disturbances in the in the period prior to their attacks.

Other early symptoms - Shortness of breath (SOB) during normal activities of daily living (ADL) was an early warning sign of cardiac distress, including indigestion and anxiety.

Is This Serious?

In a word, yes. Get to know your typical aches and pains and your normal reactions to foods and activities. This may help you to know when something truly is amiss. Be vigilant about monitoring how she feels. If there are worrisome or abnormal changes in her energy or comfort levels or her sleep habits should talk with here physician.

What are my risk factors for heart attack?

• high blood pressure


• high cholesterol


• obesity, diabetes


• a smoking habit


• sedentary lifestyle

A woman should pay particular attention to how she feels and should discuss her concerns with her doctor as soon as possible to rule out heart distress.

Why Are The Acute Symptoms different for women? The sudden, violent chest convulsions portrayed on TV is not be what most women experience during a heart attack. Research suggests that these dramatic signs may be more common in men. Thankfully, we know that several more moderate signals alert a women that she is having a heart attack. Pain may be atypical compared to what men usually experience.

Atypical pain - The feeling of pressure, tightness, aching, or burning in the upper back, neck, shoulders, and arms, or even in your jaw or throat can be signs of heart distress. Women have also reported the pain as a sharp, full, or tingling feeling.

Additionally, shortness of breath, fatigue, stomach pain, cold sweats, dizziness, indigestion, or nausea may occur during the acute phase of a heart attack. In a recent study, the most commonly reported acute symptoms of heart attack in women were shortness of breath, weakness, and fatigue.

Knowing the different forms that acute symptoms of a heart attack can take, help ensure that you get emergency care as soon as possible. And know that not all of these signs happen all the time. Some symptoms may leave and come back again.

Your heart attack risk is really up to you

Your risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) increases after age 40 and rises as you get older. Around this time of life your body stops making estrogen and your cholesterol levels increase. Taking estrogen as hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been found to not possess the medical benefits as was once thought. Instead of protecting against CHD, clinical trials have shown it to increase your risks for heart disease, as well as increase your risk for ovarian and breast cancers.

How Can I protect Myself?

1. Controlling your cholesterol, blood pressure, and weight can reduce your risk of heart attack.


2. Consult with your physician for advise on diet and exercise to help you reach optimal health.

Don't Ignore yourself Never ignore it when you don't feel well. Research shows that women frequently dismiss early signs of illness or blame their symptoms of cardiac distress on something else. If you are feeling unusual fatigue or pain and discomfort, do not pretend as if nothing is wrong. These warning signs may show up as early as one month prior to an attack. This gives you precious time to get medical care to find out why you are not feeling so well lately.

by Barb Hicks RN/LMT