Signs of a Heart Attack for Women

Heart attack symptoms are often different for women than for men. Heartburn, nausea, muscle weakness, fatigue, shortness of breath, or upper stomach pain may warrant a 911 call.

Heart attacks and heart disease are more often viewed as a man's problem then a woman's. But, since 1984, more women
 die of heart disease each year in the United States than men. And every year in the United States, 9,000 women under the age of 45 have a heart attack. Unfortunately, heart attack symptoms often go unnoticed in women, resulting in sometimes dire consequences.


Heart Attack Symptoms in Women

According to Jennifer Lawton, MD, associate professor of surgery in the division of cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Washington in St. Louis, “Women are more likely to have atypical symptoms [of a heart attack] than men. Those could include something like heartburn or burning in the upper abdomen, fatigue, difficulty breathing, even nausea. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who don’t have any symptoms before their first heart attack.”

Typical heart attack symptoms in men may include crushing chest pain, tightness, or discomfort; pain may radiate to the arms, back, jaw, and neck. But women often experience only shortness of breath, lightheadedness or dizziness, or vague pain somewhere in the upper abdomen, arm, or neck. It is believed that women may have different heart attack symptoms because different coronary arteries (the arteries in the heart which when blocked, cause a heart attack) are blocked. In women, blockage may occur in smaller coronary arteries as opposed to the main arteries, where blockage often begins in men.

Heart Attack in Women: Age Plays a Role

Women tend to develop heart disease and become more prone to heart attacks about 10 years later than men. Since women are generally older when they develop heart disease, they may ignore signs of heart disease and heart attack because they attribute the symptoms to something else, perhaps simply to aging.

Even when heart disease or heart attack symptoms are recognized, women may delay seeking medical attention for themselves because they are busy caring for children, spouses, or elderly parents who depend on them. But, delaying treatment can be the difference between life and death when it comes to heart attacks. Treatment for heart attack includes administration of a clot-busting drug. This drug works best when given within an hour of the first symptom. However, since women tend to ignore their symptoms longer than men, often delaying treatment, they do not get the full benefit of this treatment.

Preventing a Heart Attack: What Women Can Do

The American Heart Association has a slogan: “Know your numbers.” Dr. Lawton explains that this is to encourage women to see their doctor and become more knowledgeable about their blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels.

There isn’t much a woman should do differently from a man when it comes to preventing a heart attack. If your numbers are high (blood pressure, cholesterol, or blood sugar), you need to work on getting them down and under control. This means exercising, quitting smoking if you smoke, and eating a healthy, low-fat diet that’s rich in fruits and vegetables. Lowering your salt intake may help, too.


There are some heart attack risk factors that can’t be modified: age and family history. You are at higher risk of developing heart disease and having a heart attack if you have a primary relative (parent or sibling) who had a heart attack at a young age. For a man, being under 45 years old and having a heart attack is considered young; for women, it’s being under 55 years old.

Heart Attack: Don’t Let Youth Fool You

Heart disease is less common in younger women, but it’s not nonexistent, says Lawton. “The youngest woman who I’ve operated on for bypass surgery was 32 years old,” she says.

Reducing your risk factors for heart disease is vital to preventing death from heart disease and/or a heart attack. Lawton points out that more women die of heart disease than from breast cancer. “One in 2.4 women will die of this disease as opposed to one in 29 who will die of breast cancer,” she says.

However, you’re not powerless. Lawton suggests asking your doctor to check your cholesterol levels and see if you are doing everything you can to take care of your heart, like eating right and exercising.

If you have symptoms of a possible heart attack, such as heartburn or burning in your chest, shortness of breath, lightheadedness or dizziness, or vague pain somewhere in the upper abdomen, arm, or neck, even if you are not sure, call 911 immediately. It's always better to be safe than sorry.