Is Women's Heart Disease The Same As Men's? No!

The answer to that is no, it's not! Now women, when we hit puberty, we have a hormone called estrogen and that estrogen is high in our bodies until we go through menopause when estrogen drops.

Estrogen is said to have a protective effect on the heart. So during our childbearing years, generally speaking, we have this protective effect of estrogen. Now that doesn't mean that we don't have heart disease and we don't have heart attacks, but we're more likely to have those things in menopause.

So what are the symptoms? Men's symptoms are generally 'classic' right?

They have this intense crushing pain in their chest, like an elephant sitting on their chest. They usually have left arm pain. They might have jaw pain. They might have stomach upset that feels like indigestion. They might have shortness of breath and those are all kind of 'classic' symptoms.

Now for women, our symptoms are not so clear cut. First of all, we might just have mild pain or some discomfort in the chest that comes and goes. We might have nausea or vomiting. We might have shortness of breath. We might feel anxious. Now these are symptoms that could easily be dismissed as fatigue or overwork or almost anything.

There was a study done in 2003 that found the most frequently reported symptom is unusual fatigue, trouble sleeping, and anxiety. Those sound like anybody could have those symptoms, right?

It wouldn't necessarily say to me, 'I'm having a heart attack.' What I do know is that women, we know our bodies. You know your body better than anybody else. So you trust yourself! If you don't feel right, if something doesn't feel right, go and get it checked out.

Part of the problem with women and heart disease is that by the time we go for treatment, sometimes it's too late because we've been having a heart attack all along, but we don't recognize it as such.

And even if we go to the hospital, they may not treat it as such. By the time we actually come in for treatment, a lot of times, it's too late, or, the disease is advanced more than it should be.

So trust yourself, listen to your body, and protect your heart. We want to have a good, healthy heart to create the life we want and to live as fully and healthfully as we can, right to the end of our lives.

If you'd like to talk with me about a health concern, please click this link and you can sign up for a free 20 minute health chat. It will take you right to my calendar and you can sign up. Thank you so much for listening.

Take care and happy, Healthy Heart Month.

Dr. Elaine

To schedule a health chat: https://calendly.com/drstewart/healthchat

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider for advice about a specific medical condition.