Original source overview
What is heart disease?Heart disease is a general term that includes many types of heart problems. It's also called cardiovascular disease, which means heart and blood vessel disease.
Coronary artery disease (also called coronary heart disease) is the most common type of heart disease in both men and women. It happens slowly over time when a sticky substance called plaque builds up in the arteries that supply your heart muscle with blood. The plaque narrows or blocks blood flow to the heart muscle and can lead to:
• Angina - chest pain from lack of blood flow • Heart attacks - when part of the heart muscle dies from loss of blood flow • Heart failure - when your heart can't pump enough blood to meet your body's needs • Arrhythmia - a problem with the rate or rhythm of your heartbeat
How does heart disease affect women?In the United States, heart disease is the number one cause of death in women. But women are often not diagnosed with heart disease as quickly as men are. That's because:
• Women are more likely than men to have "silent" heart disease, meaning that they don't have symptoms. • Health care providers may not recognize heart disease in women because women's symptoms may be different from men's symptoms. • Women are more likely than men to have certain types of heart disease that can be harder to diagnose.
A delay in diagnosis may mean a delay in medical care that could help prevent serious problems, such as a heart attack. That's why it's important to learn about your risk for heart disease, the symptoms in women, and how to keep your heart healthy.
What types of heart disease do women get?Women can get any type of heart disease. Like men, the most common type of heart disease among women is coronary artery disease. But there are certain types of heart disease which are less common, but affect women more often than men:
• Coronary microvascular disease - Chest pain from spasms (sudden tightening) in the smallest arteries of the heart that pinch off blood flow. It typically happens during rest or routine activities. This serious condition increases your risk of having a heart attack or other heart diseases. This type may be harder to diagnose since blockages in smaller arteries can be harder to see on imaging tests. • Broken heart syndrome - Strong chest pain or other signs that look like a heart attack. It's caused by the stress of powerful emotions, such as deep grief, anger, or surprise. It can happen even if you're healthy. It mostly affects women after menopause and usually doesn't cause any lasting damage. • Variant angina - A rare type of strong chest pain from spasms in the heart arteries. The pain usually happens in a pattern during sleep. Variant angina rarely causes a heart attack.
Which women are more likely to develop heart disease?Your risk for developing heart disease increases with:
• Menopause. Women can develop heart disease at any age, but your risk increases after your periods stop, usually by age 55. Before menopause, your body makes more estrogen (a female hormone) which helps protect against heart disease. That's why women generally develop coronary artery disease 10 years later than men. During and after menopause, estrogen levels drop and your risk for heart diseases goes up. If your periods stop before age 40, your risk will be higher than other women your age. • Family history of heart disease. Your risk for heart disease may be higher if your:
• Mother or sister had heart disease before age 65. • Father or brother had heart disease before age 55.
• Problems during pregnancy, such as high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, anemia, and high blood pressure. • Use of hormonal birth control (pills, patches, or vaginal rings with estrogen and progesterone). • Endometriosis. • Polycystic ovary syndrome. • Inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. • Metabolic syndrome. • Mental health issues, such as stress, anxiety, or depression. • Health risks from a lack physical activity. • Obesity or being overweight. • Diabetes. • Low HDL cholesterol levels. • Mild to moderate high blood pressure. • Smoking.
If you have one or more risks for heart disease, ask your health care provider for help understanding your risk level. Ask if you need any heart tests to help catch heart disease early.
What are the symptoms of heart disease and heart attack in women?When women have symptoms of heart disease, they may include:
• Pain or discomfort in the chest that may be dull and heavy or sharp • Pain in the neck, jaw, throat, upper belly, or back • Nausea or vomiting • Unusual fatigue • Shortness of breath (feeling like you can't get enough air) during physical activity
Women who have coronary artery disease are more likely than men to have chest pain when resting or doing daily activities, rather than during exercise. They're also more likely than men to feel chest pain from mental stress.
Symptoms of a heart attack in women may also be different than in men. Chest pain is the most common symptom for both sexes. It may feel like crushing or squeezing. But women are somewhat less likely than men to have chest pain.
During a heart attack, women may feel:
• Pressure or tightness in the chest • Pain in the upper back, arms, neck, jaw or throat • Dizziness • Unusual fatigue • Indigestion, heartburn, nausea, or vomiting • Stomach pain • Shortness of breath
Heart attacks usually don't look like the sudden, dramatic events we see in the movies. The symptoms may be mild or strong. They may start slowly. They can stop and then come back.
Can heart disease in women be prevented?You can help lower your risk by:
• Learning how to prevent heart disease and making heart-healthy habits part of your daily life. • Asking your provider about your personal risk for heart disease and the best way to manage your heart health.
Remember, women can have heart disease without symptoms. But if you pay attention to your risk for heart disease, you can take action to prevent problems or keep them from getting worse.
NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Encyclopedic background — Wikipedia
The following selected excerpts provide background on “Cardiovascular disease in women”. This related background source does not cover every aspect of the specific topic “Heart Disease in Women”; population-specific details and decisions should be checked in the original topic source. They are not a substitute for the source overview or current local clinical guidance. Each excerpt below comes from the fixed Wikipedia revision [W1].
Definition and overview [W1]
Cardiovascular disease in women is an integral area of research in the ongoing studies of women's health. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is an umbrella term for a wide range of diseases affecting the heart and blood vessels, including but not limited to, coronary artery disease, stroke, cardiomyopathy, myocardial infarctions, and aortic aneurysms.
Since the mid-1980s, CVD has been the leading cause of death in women, despite being presumed to be a primarily male disease. Two types of CVDs are shown to be the leading causes of death in women globally, according to the World Health Organization: ischemic heart disease and stroke. Although, on average, women will develop CVD 5-10 years later than men, the overall number of CVD diagnoses in men and women is similar.
Until recently, the gender-specific data available on cardiovascular disease (CVD) have been sparse for numerous reasons. The risks of CVD were unaccounted for in women due to gender biases, under-representation in clinical trials, and lack of research. These factors contributed to an increase in preventable deaths in women due to CVD. Thus, this is now an integral area of research in the ongoing studies of women's health.
Signs and symptoms [W1]
CVD is the leading cause of death in women worldwide. Studies have shown a recent successful decline in CVD mortality overall. However, there is a strong indication for male-specific reductions being implemented in practice; thus, female mortality remains high, despite the incidence of CVD being lower. The number of women surviving and dying from CVD far outweighs the number of men in comparison.
Due to anatomical and biological differences, women with CVD have been shown to present with the expected symptoms, as well as unusual and unexpected symptoms of CVD in comparison to men. The traditional, or common, symptoms seen in both men and women include:
However, some studies have shown that chest pain is not as common a symptom in women. Thus, its absence cannot rule out the likeliness of CVD.
Risk factors [W1]
Numerous risk factors are associated with developing CVD. A number of them are considered traditional, as they are found in men and women with CVD at high rates. However, there are also unique risk factors found only in women that are commonly associated with this group developing CVD. The following list includes the predominant ones found in many cases of CVD in women.
Physical activity [W1]
Lower levels of fitness are commonly associated with blockages and obstructed blood flow found in CVDs. As exercise promotes the use of the heart and improves oxygen affinity for muscles, this can help relieve stress from the heart and allow for it to pump at a normal pace while providing more nutrients and oxygen to the body. An observational study found that those with limited physical activity in their day were at 4.7 times increased risk for stroke and other forms of CVD.
Reading this topic in context
Use “Heart Disease in Women” as a starting point for a focused discussion, rather than treating every statement in the broader encyclopedia article as applying to you. The original source overview and the background excerpts answer different questions: the overview explains the health topic for readers, while the encyclopedia supplies terminology and general context. Keep a record of which questions concern symptoms, a confirmed diagnosis, prevention, or an existing treatment. This helps a healthcare professional address the relevant issue without relying on an internet label.
Questions to take to a professional
1. How should my symptoms and risk factors be assessed in the context of my history?
2. Do pregnancy-related conditions or menopause-related changes affect the discussion?
Evidence, scope and next steps
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Attribution and reuse
[W1] Wikipedia contributors, “Cardiovascular disease in women”. Version 1373971600, edited 2026-09-09. Retrieved 2026-10-16. Fixed revision: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cardiovascular_disease_in_women&oldid=1373971600. Contributor history: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cardiovascular_disease_in_women&action=history. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ .
The MedlinePlus health-topic summary retains its original attribution. Wikipedia excerpts and the added compilation/commentary are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0; selections, section ordering and editorial reading prompts have been added. No images are reused. This is an educational compilation, not a clinician-reviewed guideline.