Go Red for Women

• Chest pain, but not always
• Pain or pressure in the lower chest or upper abdomen
• Jaw, neck or upper back pain
• Nausea or vomiting
• Shortness of breath
• Fainting
• Feeling a cold sweat
• Indigestion
• Extreme fatigue

The symptoms of extreme fatigue and nausea or vomiting occur in women. Women may also describe chest pain in different ways. For some, it may feel more like pressure. For others, it can be a tightness. What’s important is if something feels wrong, seek help Women are more likely to have more than one heart attack symptom. Many women report that something felt off before they had a heart attack, although they could not pinpoint why.

When we think of something as tragic as a heart attack, we tend to have the thoughts that “it could never happen to me or someone close to me”. I never gave heart disease a second thought until the spring of 2003. I was a freshman in college and has just moved 3 hours away from the only home and family I had known. I will never forget getting that call that my grandmother had a heart attack and was being rushed to the ER. My grandmother was a picture of health. She was just in her early 60’s (young in my book!), not overweight at all, ate the right things, exercised probably more than I did. How could this happen to her? It was very scary at the thought of losing her! I am happy to say she is still here with us today, but she had to be put on heart medications and now sees a cardiologist regularly. The point of this story is to always listen to your body! She knew something wasn’t right and was able to get the help needed before it was too late.

1. Cardiovascular disease kills more women than all forms of cancer combined and yet only 44% of women recognize that cardiovascular disease is their greatest health threat.
2. Among females 20 years and older, nearly 45% are living with some form of cardiovascular disease and less than 50% of women entering pregnancy in the United States have good heart health.
3. Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of new moms and accounts for over on-third of maternal deaths. Black women have some of the highest maternal mortality rates.
4. Overall, 10% to 20% of women will have a health issue during pregnancy, and high blood pressure, preeclampsia and gestational diabetes during pregnancy greatly increase a women’s risk for developing cardiovascular disease later in life.
5. Going through menopause does not cause cardiovascular disease, but the approach of menopause marks a point in midlife when women’s cardiovascular risk factors can accelerate, making increased focus on health during this pivotal life stage is crucial.
6. Most cardiac and stroke events can be prevented through education and lifestyle changes, such as moving more, eating smart and managing blood pressure.
7. 51.9% of high blood pressure deaths, otherwise known as hypertension or the “silent killer,” are in women, and out of all women, 57.6% of Black females have hypertension — more than any other race or ethnicity.
8. While there are an estimated 4.1 million female stroke survivors living today, approximately 57.5% of total stroke deaths are in women.
9. Women are often less likely to receive bystander CPR because rescuers often fear accusations of inappropriate touching, sexual assault or injuring the victim.
10. Women continue to be underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields, as well as in research. In fact, women occupy nearly half of all U.S. jobs (48%), but only 27% of jobs in STEM fields. Furthermore, only 38% of participants in clinical cardiovascular trials are women.