Heart disease in women

What is the greatest health threat for women? You may be surprised to know it’s heart disease. In fact, more American women die from heart disease than from breast, ovarian, lung, uterine, cervical or vaginal cancers or childbirth – combined.

And heart disease can feel very different for women compared to men. At Aurora, we understand your symptoms are real. We’ll listen to you and look deep to find the cause to get you the expert care you need to be your healthiest.

What should you know about female heart disease?

It can be eye-opening to learn cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of women (as well as men) in the U.S. Women also have unique sex-specific risk factors like pregnancy complications or early menopause that can increase their risk for heart disease.

Other good-to-know facts include:

• Only one in five women believe heart disease is her greatest health threat.
• One in three women die of heart disease, while one in 31 die of breast cancer.
• One in three women has some form of heart disease.
• 64% of women who die suddenly of coronary heart disease had no previous symptoms.
• About 80% of cardiovascular diseases may be prevented.

We’re here to help you identify your risk factors, live a healthy lifestyle and get any necessary treatment to help keep heart disease at bay.

And if you’re pregnant or looking to get pregnant and have a heart condition, our specialists can help ensure the best health for you and your baby. See what you need to know about heart disease in pregnancy.

Preventing heart disease in women

At Aurora, your heart is as important to us as it is to you. That’s why we do everything possible to help you identify your risks and know the symptoms to prevent or manage female heart disease.

One way we do that is through our nationally recognized Karen Yontz Women's Cardiac Awareness Center. At this special gathering place and resource center, you can relax in quiet and learn about your cardiovascular health and how to live, work, eat and play in heart-healthy ways. Our dieticians and other specialists offer coaching on nutrition, exercise and managing your stress.

Knowing your risks and taking an active role in avoiding and managing them can help prevent heart disease. Ways you can do this include:

• Not smoke
• Get regular, moderate exercise
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Eat a healthy diet
• Limit alcohol
• Manage stress
• Manage risk factors such as high blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar
• Talk with your doctor about prevention and treatment options

Heart disease symptoms in women

We will always take your symptoms seriously because we know the signs of heart disease in women can be different than in men.

For example, during a heart attack, women commonly feel chest pain, same as men. Women may also have other symptoms such as shortness of breath, back pain, nausea or vomiting.

Be aware of these other symptoms and call 911 right away if you experience any of them.

The less common signs women are more likely to feel during a heart attack include:

• Pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, shoulder, upper back, lower chest or upper abdomen
• Pain in one or both arms
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea or vomiting
• Lightheadedness, sudden dizziness or fainting
• Unusual or extreme fatigue
• Indigestion

Heart disease risk factors for women

Some traditional risk factors for heart disease, like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity, affect both women and men. Other sex-specific risk factors make it more likely for women to develop heart disease in the future, as compared to men.

Traditional risk factors

• Diabetes
• Smoking
• Obesity or physical inactivity
• High blood pressure or cholesterol
• Family history of early heart disease

Sex-specific risk factors for women

• Early menarche (first menstrual period)
• Pregnancy complications, including gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, preterm delivery, intrauterine growth retardation and placental abruption
• Early menopause
• Breast cancer treatment
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome

Other risk factors in women

• Depression and stress
• Autoimmune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis

Are you at risk for heart disease?

Knowing your risk factors of heart disease – the leading cause of death in the U.S. – can help you lower your chances of developing it. Our heart health quiz estimates your risk, determines which of your risk factors are controllable and gives you an idea what to do next based on your results.

Take the heart health quiz

Diagnosis & treatment of heart disease in women

We see many women with heart disease, but you’re much more than a number to us. For your convenience and best health, we offer coordinated care for preventing, diagnosing and treating all kinds of cardiovascular conditions, including those seen more frequently in women or specific to women, such as:

• Peripartum cardiomyopathy, an uncommon form of heart failure that begins sometime during the last month of pregnancy through about five months after delivery
• Microvascular dysfunction, a type of nonobstructive coronary artery disease in which blocked arteries do not appear to be the cause
• Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also called broken heart syndrome, which can come on suddenly from extreme emotional or physical stress
• Spontaneous coronary artery dissection, in which a tear forms in an artery in your heart
• Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, which causes lightheadedness, fainting and rapid heartbeat when standing up from a reclining position
• Coronary vasospasm, where your coronary arteries constrict on and off, causing temporary lack of blood supply to your heart

The specialists you need, including cardiologists, obstetricians and gynecologists, neurologists, dieticians and life coaches, are all here to help. We’ll work together on a care plan personalized for you and your unique needs. We use the most advanced diagnostics and technologies and offer minimally invasive procedures whenever possible to minimize your down time.

Find out more about our heart and vascular testing and diagnosis and services and treatments.