According to HeartHealthyWomen.org, many women wait two hours or more after the first symptoms of a heart attack to seek help, and that delay in treatment makes them more likely to die or suffer serious long-term complications. Women are more likely to have atypical heart attack symptoms than men and may not realize they are in trouble. Instead of the classic chest pain most people associate with a heart attack, a woman might have back pain or nausea. Heart attack symptoms are the same for women of all ages, but older women are more likely to have a heart attack.
Chest Pain
Chest pain is still the most common symptom of a heart attack in both men and women, but in women the pain may be mild, according to MayoClinic.com. It may feel like pressure, tightness or an ache in the center of the chest, and it may come and go. About 43 percent of women who had a heart attack did not experience any type of chest discomfort, reports HeartHealthyWomen.org. Of those who did have chest symptoms, one-third didn't describe it as pain but as a milder form of discomfort.
Typical Symptoms
Women may experience the same common symptoms of heart attack that afflict men, including sweating, shortness of breath and pain in one or both arms, according to HeartHealthyWomen.org. Women are more likely than men to experience shortness of breath, which can occur before or during chest pain.
Atypical Symptoms
According to HeartHealthyWomen,org, women are more likely than men to experience atypical symptoms of heart attack. For example, the website notes that women are twice as likely as men to experience nausea, vomiting or upset stomach during a heart attack. Other atypical symptoms are pain in the back, neck, shoulder, upper back, abdomen or jaw; weakness; tiredness; pale or clammy skin; or dizziness.
Early Warning Signs
Sometimes the heart gives off signals that it is in trouble long before a heart attack actually occurs, according to HeartHealthyWomen.org. These symptoms can happen months or weeks before a heart attack and are an indication that heart disease may be developing. If these symptoms occur, see a doctor who can offer treatment that might prevent a possible heart attack. The symptoms include tiredness, sleep difficulties, shortness of breath, chest pain, indigestion, anxiety, and pain in the upper back or shoulder blades.
