Heart attacks may not happen dramatically or with intense symptoms. Many heart attacks begin slowly with mild pain or discomfort, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. These symptoms can happen erratically in women, making it difficult to interpret the signs. In addition, women may be more likely than men to have a "silent" heart attack--a heart attack with no extreme symptoms. Knowing what to watch for can help you determine if you or a woman you know is experiencing a heart attack.
Chest Pain
Chest pain may be the most prominent indicator of a heart attack. However, chest pain can become confusing among women who experience regular indigestion or other similar symptoms. Chest pain associated with a heart attack may cause a heaviness, squeezing or fullness in the chest that can come and go. In addition, chest pain that is accompanied by other pain symptoms, such as pain in the neck, jaw and back, should be taken seriously. According to Merck, a third of people who have a heart attack, most of them women, do not have chest pain.
Upset Stomach
A heart attack may cause you to feel sick to your stomach, queasy and have the urge to vomit. You may also feel clammy and experience a cold sweat.
Light-headedness
Light-headedness, when coupled with various other symptoms, can indicate a heart attack in women. In addition, you may feel tired, weak or generally ill for a few days to weeks preceding a heart attack. Heartburn or heart flutters, coughing and a loss of appetite may also be apparent in advance.
Shortness of Breath
Shortness of breath is another symptom of a heart attack in women. The feeling of not getting enough air or laboring to breath can occur with any condition that disrupts the balance between the body's oxygen supply and oxygen requirement.
Progression of Symptoms
In some situations, these symptoms can happen suddenly, but women generally experience the symptoms gradually and, unlike men, they typically experience a wide range of symptoms other than mere chest pain. Older people, mainly women, often prolong getting help or admitting they are ill, according to Merck. If you are unsure if your symptoms are serious or if you have had a heart attack in the past and have some or all of the above symptoms, call 911 immediately. Swift treatment is important with a heart attack and can make a huge difference in the outcome.
