Despite being the leading cause of death for American women, heart disease remains widely misunderstood. Only about 44% of women even realize it’s a major threat to their health.
At Maryland Medical First P.A. in Parkville, Maryland, board-certified internal medicine physician Narender Bharaj, MD, and our expert team find that many women are surprised to learn that their sex influences how heart problems develop and present. Recognizing these gender-specific patterns could help protect your heart.
Women often experience heart attack symptoms differently than men, so the chest-clutching you see in movies isn’t always how the disease presents.
Instead of crushing chest pain, you might experience persistent stomach upset that resembles food poisoning, increasing exhaustion, or aching that travels through your back, neck, or arms.
Women have smaller hearts and narrower blood vessels than men. Men usually develop blockages in their main heart arteries, which are large enough to show up clearly on tests. Women are more likely to develop problems in tiny blood vessels that are often harder to see.
This anatomical difference explains why some women get told their heart tests look normal even when they actually have blockages.
Every pregnancy essentially puts your circulatory system through an intensive stress test. Problems that surface during gestation often predict cardiovascular challenges that will emerge years or decades later.
Pregnancy complications that can increase your risk of heart disease later include:
Your reproductive experiences provide us with valuable early warning signals about your cardiovascular system’s long-term health.
Before menopause, estrogen helps protect your heart. It keeps blood vessels flexible, helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels, and reduces inflammation. This protection explains why women typically develop heart disease about 10 years later than men.
After menopause, that protection slowly subsides. This hormonal shift makes your postmenopausal years crucial for preventing heart disease. Regular checkups, blood pressure monitoring, and cholesterol testing are now more important than ever.
Unfortunately, women often face hurdles when seeking heart care because symptoms may not show up as clearly as they do in men.
You can protect yourself by being prepared. Write down your symptoms, mention any pregnancy complications from your past, and don’t hesitate to ask for cardiac testing if you feel your concerns aren’t being heard.
If you have questions about your cardiovascular risk factors or want to discuss your individual heart health profile, Dr. Bharaj and our team are here to provide a comprehensive evaluation and guidance.
To schedule your assessment, call our office at 410-661-4670 or request an appointment using our online booking tool.
