Do You Know the Warning Signs of Heart Disease in Women?

When we picture a heart attack, we often imagine sudden, crushing chest pain. But for many women, heart disease does not present this way.

In Australia, cardiovascular disease affects more than 2.1 million women. Despite this, many women do not recognise the symptoms when they appear. Awareness remains a significant gap.

Heart Disease Symptoms in Women Can Be Subtle

While chest pain can occur, women are more likely than men to experience less typical symptoms. These can be milder, gradual in onset, or easy to attribute to something else.

Common warning signs include:

• Chest discomfort, pressure, tightness or burning (not always severe)

• Pain or discomfort in the neck, jaw, shoulder, upper back or arms

• Shortness of breath, with or without chest discomfort

• Nausea, indigestion or a feeling similar to reflux

• Dizziness or light-headedness

• Cold sweats

• Unusual or overwhelming fatigue

For some women, extreme fatigue is one of the earliest warning signs — particularly if it is new, unexplained, or out of proportion to activity levels.

Why Symptoms Are Missed

Women’s symptoms are often described as “atypical,” but in reality, they are typical for women. The issue is that they do not match the stereotype many people expect.

Symptoms may:

• Come and go

• Develop gradually over hours or days

• Feel vague or difficult to describe

• Be mistaken for stress, anxiety, reflux, menopause, or musculoskeletal pain

Because of this, women may delay seeking care — and clinicians may not immediately suspect a cardiac cause.

When to Act

If you experience symptoms that are new, unusual, persistent, or worsening — particularly chest discomfort combined with breathlessness, nausea, sweating, or marked fatigue — urgent medical assessment is essential.

You do not need dramatic pain to justify concern.

Heart disease in women does not always announce itself loudly. It can whisper before it shouts. Recognising the subtle warning signs — and taking them seriously — may be one of the most important steps you take to protect your heart.