Women's heart health
Heart disease is a leading cause of ill health and death for women in Scotland.
Urgent advice: Phone 999 or go to A&E immediately if:
- you have central chest pain or discomfort in your chest that doesn't go away – it may feel like pressure, tightness or squeezing
- the pain radiates down your left arm, or both arms, or to your neck, jaw, back or stomach
- you have severe sudden chest pain or chest pain that you feel through to your back (it may feel like tearing)
- you feel sick, sweaty, lightheaded or short of breath
A heart attack is a medical emergency. Do not delay getting help if you have symptoms.
Heart disease in women
Heart disease refers to any condition that affects the heart including:
- heart attacks or angina
- heart failure
- abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmia)
- heart valve disease
- inherited or congenital heart disease
- aortic aneurysm or dissection
It's important that you know the signs of heart attack and other heart conditions, and when to seek medical attention.
According to British Heart Foundation research, your ethnic background can affect your risk of heart and circulatory disease.
Do
- know the symptoms of a heart attack
- get medical help immediately if you have symptoms of a heart attack or aortic dissection
- know the symptoms of heart failure or arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm)
- seek medical attention if you are pregnant and have chest pain or breathlessness that occurs with minimal exertion or when you are at rest
- seek medical attention if you are pregnant and have chest pain or breathlessness that comes on suddenly or is not normal for you
- talk to your healthcare professional if you have a heart condition and are planning pregnancy
- reduce your risk of heart disease by making lifestyle changes
Heart attack
A heart attack is a medical emergency. It's crucial to get treatment as soon as possible.
Different people can have different symptoms of a heart attack. But, women and men may experience some common symptoms.
British Heart Foundation: what is a heart attack? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw_Vv2WRG-A)
It's common for women to delay seeking help when having a heart attack.
A heart attack means that blood flow to the heart is disrupted. The longer this goes on, the higher the risk of:
- permanent damage to the heart muscle
- heart failure
- life-threatening heart rhythms
- death
You may think the symptoms are not important, or that they're caused by something else. However, heart attacks do not just happen to men, so if you experience any symptoms it's important to seek help immediately.
Read further information about:
- how your heart works
- how to reduce your risk of developing heart disease
- checking your heart age
- Go Red for Women, the international heart health campaign
Risk factors of heart disease
Your risk of heart disease can be impacted by lifestyle factors such as your diet, level of exercise and smoking habits.
There's support available to help you make lifestyle changes to reduce your risk of heart disease. This can include:
- eating a balanced diet
- weight management
- keeping active and exercising regularly
- stopping smoking
- Managing any conditions you might have - like high blood pressure or diabetes - which can lead to heart disease
Pregnancy and heart disease
From the early stages of pregnancy there are lots of changes in a woman’s body, including to the heart. The heart needs to work harder, pumping up to 50% more blood volume than normal. The blood is also more prone to clotting. There are extra demands on your heart around the time of birth. These demands can cause greater stress on your heart.
Pregnancy if you have a heart condition
Most people with a heart condition tolerate pregnancy well. But, depending on the nature of your heart condition, there may be risks to you and your baby.
You should avoid an unplanned pregnancy if you have a heart condition. This gives you time to talk to your healthcare professional about pregnancy and any risks there may be.
Further support is available from Scottish Obstetric Cardiology Network (SOCN). SOCN help women with a heart condition who are thinking about pregnancy, or who are pregnant.
Further information about pregnancy with a heart condition
Developing a heart condition in pregnancy
Some women develop heart problems for the first time in pregnancy.
Heart disease is a leading cause of maternal death in pregnancy in the UK. Black women are at a higher risk of maternal mortality.
Urgent advice: Phone 999 or go to A&E immediately if you are pregnant and:
- you have central chest pain or discomfort in your chest that doesn't go away – it may feel like pressure, tightness or squeezing
- the pain radiates down your left arm, or both arms, or to your neck, jaw, back or stomach
- you feel sick, sweaty, lightheaded or short of breath
- you have severe sudden chest pain or chest pain that you feel through to your back (it may feel like tearing)
- experience chest pain or tightness while exercising which eases at rest
- you experience unconsciousness
- you experience seizures or fitting
- you have difficulty breathing (snoring or rasping)
- you are breathless at rest (especially when lying down) or with minimal effort
- you have a low or undetectable heart beat
- you have blue or pale tingling of knees, hands and lips
- you have chest pain and breathlessness, nausea, sweating or are coughing up blood
- are experiencing dizziness that is persistent or associated with blurred vision, headache, or palpitation
- are experiencing palpitations that last more than 10 minutes
Read further information about:
- pregnancy and heart and circulatory disease
- pregnancy - living with a heart condition
- coronary heart disease and pregnancy
Other heart conditions
Some heart conditions affect women more than men.
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is when your heart muscle becomes suddenly weakened so cannot pump blood as well as it should.
Symptoms can include:
- chest pain
- shortness of breath
- palpitations
- nausea
- vomiting
It's not known exactly what causes takotsubo cardiomyopathy. But, it's often brought on by emotional or physical distress.
Read further information about takotsubo cardiomyopathy
Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD)
SCAD is a tear on the wall of a coronary artery (a large blood vessel), which supplies blood to your heart. It can cause angina, heart attack and cardiac arrest.
Symptoms can include:
- a feeling of heaviness or tightness in your chest – this may spread to your arms, neck, jaw, back or stomach
- shortness of of breath
- feeling sick
- sweating
- light headedness
Many people with SCAD will have few or no risk factors for heart disease. It's not yet known what causes it, and it's not thought to be preventable.
Read further information about SCAD
Microvascular angina
Microvascular angina is a problem with tiny blood vessels that supply blood to your heart. It may be caused when these tiny blood vessels:
- cannot open up properly to let your blood flow
- severely narrow, blocking blood flow to the heart
The main symptom of microvascular angina is chest pain. You may feel it at any time.
Microvascular angina is more common around the menopause.
Lifestyle changes can often improve symptoms.
Read further information about microvascular angina
Women's health plan
The Scottish Government has published a Women’s Health Plan, aiming to reduce health inequalities for both women and girls.
Source: Scottish Government
Last updated:
25 July 2022