Women and Heart Disease: The Lifesaving Facts

Did you know that more than 60 million women in the US are living with some form of heart disease? It’s the leading cause of death for women in the US, claiming more than 310,000 lives in 2021 alone. In Texas, heart disease is the top cause of death for both men and women, accounting for more than 45,000 deaths in 2017.

Even though heart disease is very common, doctors often don’t realize women have it. This is because women have different symptoms than men, and their symptoms don’t always seem related to the heart. Also, women are more likely to have certain types of heart disease—like small blood vessel disease, broken heart syndrome, or chest pain from narrowed arteries—that are harder to diagnose.

Heart Disease Risk Factors in Women

As you age, your risk of heart disease goes up, especially during menopause when estrogen levels drop. Other heart disease risk factors for women include:

Pregnancy complications: Developing conditions like high blood pressure (pre-eclampsia), gestational diabetes, and anemia during pregnancy can increase your risk of heart disease later in life.
Endometriosis: This painful condition, where tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside of the uterus, can put you at greater risk of developing heart disease due to swelling and changes in hormones.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): PCOS can contribute to insulin resistance, which can lead to diabetes and other metabolic issues that boost heart disease risk.
Autoimmune diseases: Conditions like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis can cause swelling in the blood vessels that contribute to heart problems.
Metabolic syndrome: This condition, which includes high blood sugar, high blood pressure, excess belly fat, and abnormal cholesterol levels, raises your risk of heart disease.
Obesity: Carrying extra weight, especially in your belly, can lead to high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and diabetes, all of which contribute to heart disease.
Diabetes: Women with diabetes are at a much higher risk of heart disease since high blood sugar can damage your blood vessels over time.
Low HDL cholesterol: Having low levels of HDL "good" cholesterol, which helps to remove plaque buildup in the arteries, can raise your risk of developing heart disease.
High blood pressure: Living with unmanaged high blood pressure can damage your heart and blood vessels, putting you at risk of a heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular issues.
Smoking: Smoking damages your blood vessels, increases blood pressure, and lowers HDL cholesterol.

The good news is that these risk factors are manageable! By working closely with your primary care provider, you can keep an eye on things like your blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, and other key health markers that can affect your heart disease risk.

Heart Disease Symptoms in Women

Heart disease symptoms in men are often easier to recognize. Men are more likely to experience a sharp or crushing pain in the center of the chest, which may radiate down the left arm. For women, the signs can be much harder to notice or might not show up at all.

Women who do experience heart disease symptoms may notice:

Chest discomfort: This can be dull, sharp, or heavy, and it may not always be in the center of the chest.
Pain in the neck, throat, jaw, upper abdomen, or back: Women may feel pain or discomfort in areas beyond the chest.
Shortness of breath: This may occur during normal activities or even while resting.
Unusual fatigue: Feeling unusually tired, especially if it’s new or unexplained, can be a sign of heart disease.

Symptoms of a heart attack are also different in women than men. For one, women are less likely to have intense chest pain, although many still do. Other heart attack symptoms in women can include:

Chest pressure or tightness
Pain in the upper back, arms, neck, throat, or jaw
Dizziness
Unusual fatigue
Indigestion or heartburn
Stomach pain
Cold sweat

If you think you may be having a heart attack, call 911 immediately! If you are dealing with any symptoms that you think may be related to your heart, make sure you mention them to your provider.

Early Detection Is Key

Early detection is the key to preventing and treating heart disease. We offer a range of screenings that help to identify your heart disease risk factors before they become serious problems, including:

Blood pressure checks to monitor for high blood pressure
Cholesterol screenings to check your HDL, LDL, and total cholesterol levels
Blood sugar tests to screen for diabetes or prediabetes
Weight and body mass index (BMI) to check for obesity
Electrocardiograms (ECGs) to look for abnormal heart rhythms or early signs of heart disease

At Innovista Medical Center, we are dedicated to helping women reduce their heart disease risk. If you have heart disease, or health issues that increase your chances of developing it, your primary care provider will work with you to address your risks and protect your heart.

Innovista Medical Center accepts all Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas plans. If you don’t have a provider you see regularly, click here to find one near you or call us at 866-325-0301.