What Are the Common Symptoms of Heart Attack in Women?

A heart attack can be of sudden onset, but if you are among the lucky few, an impending attack will present you with symptoms to tell you that you need to get medical attention, especially if you are a woman. You may have at least one of these within the four weeks before the heart attack. Here, we discuss some of the common signs you need to know.

1. You Feel Extremely Tired

In the weeks before an attack, you might feel unusually fatigued. The exhaustion might also come upon the slightest exertion. You might not be able to carry out any of the simple tasks you usually perform. But fatigue can be the result of other factors that are not in the least associated with a heart attack. You might also experience extreme tiredness just before a heart attack.

2. You Have Problems With Your Stomach

Your stomach might act up immediately before you get a heart attack. You might feel some pressure on your stomach, or it might feel painful. Your stomach issues might also include vomiting, nausea, and indigestion. Although these symptoms usually occur before the attack, you can also experience them during a heart attack.

3. You Experience Some Pain In Your Upper Body

Before you get a heart attack, you might experience non-specific pain, which you cannot associate with any joint or muscle in your upper body. This pain might affect either of your arms, your jaw, neck, or upper back. Although this pain might come suddenly, at times, it has a gradual onset, starting from one area and then gradually spreading to other regions of the body. You should be particularly wary of the pain that increases with exertion and decreases once you stop exerting yourself.

4. You Sweat Excessively

Sweating when you have a fever or when exerting yourself is very typical. Everybody does that, but how would you explain excessive sweating when you have no heat or when you are inactive? Profuse sweating might be an indication that you are close to having a heart attack, especially when it is accompanied by other symptoms. At the other end of the scale, you can also tell that you have heart problems when you feel clammy or you feel cold.

5. You Feel Weak

If you feel generally weak and you cannot explain the cause of this weakness, this might be an indication that you are likely to get a heart attack. You may also feel quite shaky, and these are acute symptoms of a heart attack in women. This symptom often comes along with other symptoms like lightheadedness, dizzy spells, anxiety, and fainting. They might occur for several days without letting, and suddenly disappear. Let a physician check out your weakness to rule out the possibility of a heart attack.

6. You Have Chest Pains

Most familiar to both men and women during a heart attack is discomfort or pain in the chest. However, you might still get a heart attack without ever having experienced such pain. Chest pain can either occur before or during the attack and can be described as an ache, a tightness, squeezing, or pressure in the chest. The discomfort can last for a few minutes, or it can be intermittent with periods of painless relief.

These are a few of the symptoms you should look out for when you suspect you might have a heart attack. If you get any of these symptoms, you need to see a doctor urgently. A heart attack can cost your life whether or not you have severe symptoms.