Many of us are aware of the initial symptoms of heart disease. Chest pains are the most obvious indicator, but did you know that signs of a heart attack are different in women than men? An unhealthy lifestyle, inactivity, eating too much junk food or food rich in calories, genetic predisposition and stress are major contributing factors affecting women’s heart health. Estrogen, a hormone secreted by the female bodies, exerts a protective influence on the heart as it causes dilation of blood vessels. Certain kinds of heart disease like stroke, congestive heart failure and hypertension are more common in women.
If you are unable to take the stairs or bring in the grocery bags from the car, chances are you could be suffering from heart disease. More women than men suffer from unexplained exhaustion. If there are certain activities that you are unable to do now but could do earlier, go for a checkup.
Women often describe heart attack pain as pressure or tightness. And it’s possible to have a heart attack without chest pain. Women are more likely than men to have heart attack symptoms unrelated to chest pain, such as: Neck, jaw, shoulder, upper back or upper belly (abdomen) discomfort.
Dr. Ashish Bajaj – M.B.B.S, M.D.
This is another common sign of heart disease that is more apparent in women than in men. Nausea and lightheadedness occur when blood pressure dips suddenly. This could happen because of the heart not functioning properly. Do not ignore it if you are feeling faint.
Another sign of heart attack, that more women than men experience, is suffering from indigestion or gas-like ache. The nerves of the stomach and the heart are closely related. Don’t ignore this pain or mistake it for stomach troubles. Consult a doctor if you are suspicious.
Although women develop heart disease about 10 years later than men, they are likely to fare worse after a heart attack, 1/3 of heart attacks in women are believed to go unnoticed or unreported, reporting immediately on the appearance of such symptoms is very crucial.
Dr. Ashish Bajaj – M.B.B.S, M.D.
Many women complain of suffering from pain radiating towards the arms and the jaw. Many also feel this pain between the shoulder blades.
Both men and women experience chest pain if suffering a heart attack. It could be felt as a numbing sensation, heaviness or as a sense of impending doom.
Must Read: First Aid for Heart Attack – How To Deal With Heart Attack
If you break into a sweat without any reason, you could be suffering from heart disease. Call the ambulance immediately. Don’t attempt to drive yourself to the hospital.
Women and men share most risk factors for heart disease — including high cholesterol, inactivity, obesity, high blood pressure, and smoking — but there are some gender differences in its development, symptoms, and prognosis. Compared with men, women have a greater chance of dying from heart disease; they’re twice as likely to have a second heart attack within six years of the first; and they don’t fare as well after bypass surgery or angioplasty. On the other hand, women tend to develop heart disease about 10 years later than men.
Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD
Another sign of cardiac trouble found more in women is disturbed sleep. Sleeping too much or too less or too many breaks in sleep are not good for your heart’s health.
Shortness of breath, even without any exertion, is a marked indicator of heart disease. Some women even start feeling clammy when suffering a heart attack. They feel as if they have run a marathon but they have not even moved a muscle.
Heart disease is more fatal in women than men as women are less likely to consult a doctor or get their symptoms checked. They are also less likely to get their tests done. Be aware of causes that may affect your heart health. Early detection of heart disease can lead to earlier control of the situation and therefore, less damage to the heart muscles.
Also read: 20 Essential Healthy Heart Tips To Take Care of Your Heart
As a woman ages, her body undergoes many changes like skin wrinkling, greying of hair and difficulty in vision and hearing. What most women neglect are the changes that occur ‘down there’. Ladies, your vaginas undergo some major changes as you get older. With bustling lives and being too busy taking care of the family, children, perhaps also a career, women hardly get the time or the thought of taking care of their intimate parts. Throughout a woman’s life, the vagina experiences certain changes. Here’s what all women need to understand about their lady parts and the changes that occur in every decade.
Women’s Health
Though worldwide the life expectancy of females at birth is more than men – 68.2 years for men and 73.2 years for women, in India, however, the life expectancy for both sexes is the same, and yet, there are many reasons as to why women die sooner due to negligence over the years.
Women’s Health is linked to the status of women in society and the culture that brews within this structure. There are a lot of health issues that mushroom from the socio-economic scenario. There are Women’s Health issues that women face which include breast cancer, ovarian cancer, PCOS, menopause, and others but there are a few health conditions that we tend to ignore or overlook that are killing our women.
Also Read: Benefits of CoQ10 for Women: Insights from Scientific Research
Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death for women. Symptoms of a heart attack include chest pain, shortness of breath and weakness in arms. Women are also likely to experience shortness of breath, and nausea or vomiting. However, women may not recognize their symptoms as a heart attack, and dismiss it as working out too hard or having heartburn.
Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD
These include; death during childbirth, illiteracy and ignorance, violent attacks on women, etc.
Overall, these factors adversely impact women’s health; mental and physical well-being. Further, a woman’s ill health affects not only her as an individual, but her family suffers too.
Women are more likely to experience bone ailments than males since they typically have smaller, thinner bones. Almost 80% of Indian women suffer from bone thinning. The danger of osteoporosis, which can lead to joint pain and easily cracked bones, rises with bone density loss.
Dr. Ashish Bajaj – M.B.B.S, M.D.
Also Read: POCD VS PCOS – Understand the Difference
As a society, we need to actively work towards providing our women with good health because a healthy woman ensures a healthy family. Women are not the weaker sex; society has made them so. We need more awareness drives, camps that educate rural women on the issues mentioned above, campaigns and projects that will help change mindsets and help save our women!
Also Read: How To Increase Female Libido Rapidly
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