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Heart attack symptoms: males vs females

5-minute read

Call triple zero (000) immediately for an ambulance if you or someone else may be having a heart attack.

Key facts

  • A heart attack is when the blood supply to your heart muscle is blocked, and your heart doesn’t get enough oxygen.
  • The most common heart attack symptom is chest pain — in both males and females.
  • Females are more likely than males to have some of the other symptoms of heart attack.

What is heart disease?

A heart attack is when the blood supply to your heart muscle is blocked, and your heart doesn’t get enough oxygen.

Heart attacks are caused by coronary heart disease (CHD). Angina is also caused by CHD.

Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in Australia, affecting 1 in 9 adults aged 75 years and older. Twice as many males as females live with CHD.

What are the symptoms of a heart attack?

The most common heart attack symptom in both males and females is chest pain.

Chest pain from a heart attack is often described as:

  • heavy
  • crushing
  • pressure

Other symptoms of a heart attack are:

Females are more likely than males to:

  • not have chest pain
  • have other symptoms of heart attack

CHECK YOUR SYMPTOMS — Use the Symptom Checker and find out if you need to seek medical help.

What are the risk factors for coronary heart disease?

Well-known risk factors for heart disease are:

Females can also have other risk factors, such as:

Also, some pregnancy complications can increase your risk of heart disease later on. These include:

Having an autoimmune condition can also increase your risk. These conditions, and some of the treatments for them, are more common in females than males.

Males with erectile dysfunction are at increased risk of heart disease.

What can be done to help prevent heart disease?

Anyone can reduce their risk of heart attack by:

Resources and support

Visit the Heart Foundation for information on the heart, heart disease and heart attack symptoms.

The Heart Foundation also has heart health information in languages other than English.

Information designed in collaboration with Aboriginal people, to provide culturally appropriate heart health resources is available from St Vincent’s Hospital Heart Health: Aboriginal Heart Health.

You can also call the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). A registered nurse is available to speak with 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.

Last reviewed: December 2023


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