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                Women's Health Topics

Women's Health Topics

                        5 Healthy Aging Tips for Women
          Women and Anxiety
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          Heart Health for WomenWomen's Health Topics Heart Health for Women
  
  					From the FDA Office of Women's Health
	
    Share
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    PrintGetting a Beat on What Women Know about Heart Health

*Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. Find out what other women like you know about heart health and get tips on how to keep your heart healthy!*

Download English PDF (2.80 MB) En Español

You may think heart disease only affects men. This is not true. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. FDA has tips to help you make good decisions about your heart health. **On this page**:

Eat a heart healthy diet
	Manage your health conditions
	Get the facts about aspirin
	Know the signs of a heart attack
	Download the Heart Health for Women fact sheet in other languagesEat a heart healthy diet.

The nutrition facts on the food label can help you make healthy food choices.

Choose foods that are ‘low salt’ or ‘low sodium.’
	Limit foods that have ‘trans fat.’ Too much trans fat can cause heart attacks.
	Cut back on sugar. Sugar is also labeled as ‘glucose’, ‘fructose’, ‘sucrose’, and ‘corn syrup.’
	Get **tips on how to use the nutrition facts label**.Manage your health conditions.

Common health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol can increase your risk of heart disease.

Download a booklet to help you talk to your health care provider about **medicines for diabetes or high blood pressure**. (PDF, 1.63 MB)
	Take your medicines as directed. Do not stop taking your medicines until your health care provider says that it is OK.
	Consider using less costly generics as safe and effective alternatives to your more costly brand-name medicines. Discuss with your health care provider if this is an option for you and get your questions answered.
	If you have diabetes, check your blood sugar level.
	Ask your health care provider how you should manage your health conditions during pregnancy.
	Some women need a device to help their heart work. Talk to your health care provider about what device is best for your heart problem.
	Talk to your health care provider about getting your blood pressure and cholesterol tested.Get the facts about aspirin.

Daily use of aspirin to prevent a heart attack or stroke is not right for everyone.

Ask your health care provider if you should use aspirin.
	If aspirin is right for you, find out:
	how much you should take.
		how often you should take it.
		how long you should take aspirin. Some products combine aspirin with other ingredients and are not meant for long-term use.
	Tell your health care provider about all medicines and supplements you take. Your risk of bleeding may be higher if you use aspirin while also taking certain medicines, vitamins, or herbs.
	Get the facts on **using aspirin to prevent heart attack and stroke**.Know the signs of a heart attack.

The signs of a heart attack can be different for women than they are for men.

Heavy ache in your chest or back between your shoulder blades
	Sharp pain in your upper body
	Shortness of breath
	Breaking out in a cold sweat
	Unusual or unexplained tiredness
	Feeling dizzy or light-headed
	Feeling sick to your stomachWhile the most common symptom for both women and men is chest discomfort, you can have a heart attack without experiencing chest pain or pressure. Women are more likely to have other symptoms such as back pain, jaw pain, shortness of breath, indigestion, and nausea or vomiting.

**Call 9-1-1 if you think you are having a heart attack.**

Heart health social media toolkit

FDA's Office of Women's Health offers resources to help women and health care providers get informed about heart health. Use the Heart Health Social Media Toolkit to encourage women in your network to protect their hearts. The toolkit includes resources for 'everyday' women and health professionals, including sample social media messages and blog posts.

Social Media Toolkit (PDF 6.81 MB) (January 2023)
	Download "Get Tips on How to Keep Your Heart Healthy" social media image (1200 x 675 px)
	Download "4 Tips for Better Heart Health" social media image (1200 x 675 px)


Diverse Women in Clinical Trials campaign

Clinical trials help researchers learn about heart health and how treatments work. People of all ages, racial and ethnic groups, healthy women, and those with a variety of health conditions should be included.

Visit the Women in Clinical Trials web page to learn more about how you can participate.

**The risk of heart disease increases for everyone as we age. For women, the risk goes up after menopause, but younger women can also develop heart disease.**

**Protect your heart!**

Download Heart Health for Women fact sheet in other languages

Arabic (صحة القلب) (PDF, 362 KB PDF)
	Bengali (হৃদযন্ত্রের স্বাস্থ্য) (PDF, 200 KB PDF)
	Chamorro (Salut put Korason) (PDF, 196 KB)
	Chinese (心脏健康) (PDF, 5.39 MB)
	English (Heart Heallth) (PDF, 2.80 MB)
	French (La Santé Cardiaque) (PDF, 5.34 MB)
	Haitian Creole (Sante Kè) (PDF, 4.09 MB)
	Japanese (心臓の健康) (PDF, 4.78 MB)
	Korean (심장 건강) (PDF, 4.89 MB)
	Polish (Zdrowie Serca) (PDF, 3.99 MB)
	Portuguese (SAÚDE DO CORAÇÃO) (PDF, 4.11 MB)
	Russian (ЗДОРОВЬЕ СЕРДЦА) (PDF, 4.10 MB)
	Spanish (Salud Cardíaca) (PDF, 2.14 MB)
	Tagalog (Kalusugan ng Puso) (PDF, 4.09 MB)
	Urdu ( دل کی صحت ) (PDF, 198 KB)
	Vietnamese (SỨC KHỎE TIM MẠCH) (PDF, 4.73 MB)Order Heart Health for Women fact sheet in English and Spanish in bulk

Related links

OWH Blog Post - Women and Heart Health (February 2023)
	High Blood Pressure--Medicines to Help You
	Cholesterol Medicines
	Tips for Women to Prevent Heart Disease
	How Smoking Affects Heart Health
	How AEDs in Public Places Can Restart Hearts
	The Heart Truth Campaign for Women (NIH NHLBI)
	Make the Call - Heart Attack Information for Women (HHS OWH)
	Million Hearts Campaign (HHS)
	Make The Call, Don't Miss a Beat (HHS OWH)
	Cholesterol (CDC)

                                                                                  Content current as of:
      10/18/2023
              
              
Topic(s)
			  Consumer HealthHealth Topic(s)
			  Heart Health
			    			       			    			       Heart DiseaseWomen's Health Topics

          
                        Aging
          Anxiety
          Caregiving
          Cholesterol medicines
          Clinical trials
          Contact lens care
          Cosmetics
          Depression
          Diabetes
          Dietary supplements
          Food safety
          Heart health
          High blood pressure
          HIV
          HPV
          Mammography
          Medication safety
          Medicine and pregnancy
          Menopause
          Osteoporosis
          Pain medicines
          Pregnancy
          Sleep problems
          Smoking
          Tattoos and permanent makeup
          Uterine fibroids


                        Pregnancy Exposure Registries
          Free publications for women
 
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