“What are the symptoms of a heart attack in women?”

Yes and no. The most frequent symptom of a heart attack in women is in fact the typical chest tightness and pressure in the middle of the chest, sometimes associated with sweating or arm or jaw pain. But as opposed to men, a significant number of women will have atypical symptoms of just nausea without chest pain, or dizziness or nausea. Unexplained symptoms such as these, in a woman with coronary artery risk factors, such as postmenopausal status, high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol or family history of heart disease require a thorough evaluation to exclude heart disease.

Usually, men and women have the same symptoms, but in some cases in women, the pain can be less and more of a simple pressing feeling in the chest and throat than definite pain. 

Gerald Lewis, MD

1. Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest. It lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.
2. Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
3. Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
4. Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
5. As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.

Women tend to have atypical symptoms like chest tightness, shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue, back pain, and jaw pain.