Women can experience all the textbookheart attack symptomsthat men do. However, heart attack symptoms in women tend to be more subtle, leading many women and their healthcare providers to downplay them or delaytreatment.
For example, while chest pain is the classic symptom associated with reduced blood flow to the heart, many women having a heart attack have no chest pain. Still others experience a burning sensation that can easily be confused forheartburn.Heart attack symptoms in women also include things that are not immediately thought to be attributed to the heart, such as nausea.
This article covers the signs of heart attack in women, along with when women should contact their healthcare provider regarding symptoms they may be having.
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Heart Attack Symptoms In Women
If you are a woman who is experiencing signs of a heart attack or symptoms that you thinkmightbe related to your heart, you need to see a healthcare provider.
Burning Sensation and/or Tenderness
Anginais typically described as a pressure-like chest pain that may radiate to the jaw or shoulder. In men, that’s usually accurate.
But many women with angina have no actual chest discomfort at all. Instead, they report a hot or burning sensation, or even tenderness to touch, that may be located in the back, shoulders, arms, neck, upper abdomen, or jaw.
Vomiting or Weakness Without Chest Pain
It’s not uncommon for women having heart attacks to experience nausea, vomiting, indigestion, shortness of breath, or simply sudden and extreme fatigue—but no chest pain.
Unfortunately, it is easy for healthcare providers to attribute these heart attack symptoms in women to something other than the heart, such as musculoskeletal pain, gastrointestinal discomfort, or stress.
Silent Heart Attacks In Women
A woman can have a heart attack and not know it. This is known as a silent heart attack, or silent myocardial infarction (SMI). It’s called “silent” because symptoms can be so brief and mild that you hardly notice them or simply attribute what you are feeling to something less serious, like heartburn.
Women Tend to Minimize Their Symptoms
Studies now indicate that women tend to complain less about their cardiac symptoms than men, so they may fail to alert their healthcare providers to symptoms that really should not be ignored. Why women tend to do this is pure speculation.
Regardless, it is important that you tell your healthcare provider about any new or disturbing symptom that even remotely might be related to your heart.
When Should Women Seek Medical Help For Possible Heart Attack Signs?
Call 911 immediately if you experience any of the following signs of heart attack in women:
Again, the key is to listen to your body and follow your instincts. If you think you may be having a heart attack, get yourself checked out.
If the healthcare provider brushes you off, that’s a reflection on the practitioner and not you. That’s also a sign that it’s time to get yourself a new healthcare provider—one who will actually do what is necessary to get to the bottom of your symptoms.
Frequently Asked QuestionsThe average age of a first heart attack in women is 72.However, heart attacks are becoming more common in younger women, particularly women who are younger than 54.Mini heart attacks are often referred to as silent heart attacks because symptoms can be so mild that they go unnoticed. The symptoms are similar to those of a major heart attack but much less severe. Symptoms may include pressure or fullness in the center of the chest, discomfort in other areas of the body such as the arms or jaw, shortness of breath, nausea, and cold sweats.
Frequently Asked Questions
The average age of a first heart attack in women is 72.However, heart attacks are becoming more common in younger women, particularly women who are younger than 54.
Mini heart attacks are often referred to as silent heart attacks because symptoms can be so mild that they go unnoticed. The symptoms are similar to those of a major heart attack but much less severe. Symptoms may include pressure or fullness in the center of the chest, discomfort in other areas of the body such as the arms or jaw, shortness of breath, nausea, and cold sweats.
5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Heart attacks striking younger women.Harvard Health.Can you have a heart attack and not know it?.van der Ende MY, Juarez-Orozco LE, Waardenburg I, et al.Sex-based differences in unrecognized myocardial infarction.J Am Heart Assoc. 2020;9(13):e015519. doi:10.1161/JAHA.119.015519U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Heart attack and women.American Heart Association.Heart attacks are becoming more common in younger people, especially women.Additional ReadingLehmann JB, Wehner PS, Lehmann CU, Savory LM. Gender bias in the evaluation of chest pain in the emergency department. Am J Cardiol 1996;77:641.Mosca L, Manson JE, Sutherland SE, et al. Cardiovascular disease in women: a statement for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association. Writing Group. Circulation 1997;96:2468.
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Heart attacks striking younger women.Harvard Health.Can you have a heart attack and not know it?.van der Ende MY, Juarez-Orozco LE, Waardenburg I, et al.Sex-based differences in unrecognized myocardial infarction.J Am Heart Assoc. 2020;9(13):e015519. doi:10.1161/JAHA.119.015519U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Heart attack and women.American Heart Association.Heart attacks are becoming more common in younger people, especially women.Additional ReadingLehmann JB, Wehner PS, Lehmann CU, Savory LM. Gender bias in the evaluation of chest pain in the emergency department. Am J Cardiol 1996;77:641.Mosca L, Manson JE, Sutherland SE, et al. Cardiovascular disease in women: a statement for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association. Writing Group. Circulation 1997;96:2468.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Heart attacks striking younger women.Harvard Health.Can you have a heart attack and not know it?.van der Ende MY, Juarez-Orozco LE, Waardenburg I, et al.Sex-based differences in unrecognized myocardial infarction.J Am Heart Assoc. 2020;9(13):e015519. doi:10.1161/JAHA.119.015519U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Heart attack and women.American Heart Association.Heart attacks are becoming more common in younger people, especially women.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Heart attacks striking younger women.
Harvard Health.Can you have a heart attack and not know it?.
van der Ende MY, Juarez-Orozco LE, Waardenburg I, et al.Sex-based differences in unrecognized myocardial infarction.J Am Heart Assoc. 2020;9(13):e015519. doi:10.1161/JAHA.119.015519
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Heart attack and women.
American Heart Association.Heart attacks are becoming more common in younger people, especially women.
Lehmann JB, Wehner PS, Lehmann CU, Savory LM. Gender bias in the evaluation of chest pain in the emergency department. Am J Cardiol 1996;77:641.Mosca L, Manson JE, Sutherland SE, et al. Cardiovascular disease in women: a statement for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association. Writing Group. Circulation 1997;96:2468.
Lehmann JB, Wehner PS, Lehmann CU, Savory LM. Gender bias in the evaluation of chest pain in the emergency department. Am J Cardiol 1996;77:641.
Mosca L, Manson JE, Sutherland SE, et al. Cardiovascular disease in women: a statement for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association. Writing Group. Circulation 1997;96:2468.
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