Women's Heart Symptoms

I recently had a stress test. It was ordered by one of my doctors because I complained of fatigue, shortness of breath while exercising, and occasional chest pain. Although I was reasonably sure that the last symptom was caused by something in coffee, it seemed prudent to make sure.

RMH Healthcare administered both a treadmill test and nuclear imaging. My results were excellent except for "mild" shortness of breath after 7 minutes on the treadmill. The written report notes "Very good exercise capacity for age." (I grinned when I read that.)

It's important for women to realize that females often have heart problems without the severe chest pain that typically signals a cardiac emergency in males. Read this article: Heart Attacks Different for Women.