A heart attack is a sudden and severe malfunction of the heart that can be life-threatening. Anyone can have a heart attack at any time. While both men and women are at risk, women tend to have more possibilities of getting life-threatening attacks. [1]
Most people experience symptoms before and while having a heart attack. Recognizing these symptoms, sometimes called auras, is important in helping people get emergency medical care. Not a lot of people can tell when a heart attack is coming on. Sometimes this is because the symptoms can resemble those of other heart problems. Women also experience what is known as a “silent” heart attack more frequently than men. This type of heart attack shows no warning signs and symptoms.
For the most part, men and women have similar heart attack symptoms, but the symptoms may manifest themselves differently in women. Research also suggests that women may experience warning signs of a heart attack several weeks before it happens. [2]
This article explains how a woman can tell when she is having a heart attack. Read on to find out.
Chest Pain
Chest pain is one of the most common signs a person is having a heart attack. Sometimes the experience is not as much pain as it is a dull ache, tightness, pressure, or squeezing sensation in the chest.
While chest pain is the most reported heart attack symptom, not all women who have a heart attack experience chest pain or pressure beforehand. Some women do not feel any discomfort at all. In a 2003 study involving 515 women, around 30 percent of them reported experiencing chest discomfort weeks before they had a heart attack. [3] While 57 percent of them experienced chest pain during the heart attack.