Health and Me

Ishita Roy

Heart Attacks In Young Women Are Increasing: What’s Driving This Alarming Trend

"You are 35; you are healthy. It is probably a panic attack," said Kristina Auwarter, as reports SELF Magazine, when she first felt a throbbing pain in her chest when she was picking her son up from his crib. There was nothing to be worried about she thought because she had been working out, her blood work was fine. She thought it was just a heartburn and popped Tums. Had it not been her sister who was home that day, she wouldn't have called 9-1-1. When she reached at the hospital, she learned what she had was a <span><a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health/heart-attack">heart attack</a></span>. She learned that she had a total blockage in the largest of the three arteries that feed the heart. 

She is far from someone who would get a heart attack. However, a 2018 study published in AHA|ASA Journals show that there had been a surge in younger patients, under 54 for heart attack between 1995 and 2004, and it has led to a 10% jump among women being hospitalized for the same, while the proportion of men remained the same. Another 2019 research by the American College of Cardiology reported that people under age of 50 were reporting more heart attacks, and the number had jumped to 2% each year from 2000 to 2016. 

For women, the long-term impact of a heart attack at a young age is often more severe. Multiple studies show that younger women are less likely than men to receive timely tests and appropriate treatments, and are more likely to be re-hospitalized or die later from heart disease.

<h2>Are Younger Women More Prone To Heart Attack?</h2>

Hormonal conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) can accelerate risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and elevated blood sugar. All of them could fuel plaque buildup in the arteries. This has become even more common due to less nutritious diets and increasingly sedentary lifestyle. 

While these are some of the traditional risk factors, non-traditional risk factors often disproportionately affect young women. These include adverse pregnancy outcomes such as hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes. Rates of pregnancy-related high blood pressure have doubled over the past two decades, while gestational diabetes has climbed by roughly 30%, trends likely tied to worsening pre-pregnancy health and lifestyle shifts that are not particularly heart-friendly.

The matter of the fact is that for the longest these conditions were viewed as temporary problems, confined to pregnancy. The assumption was, one a person delivered, the dangers passed, however, it is not the case. There are numerous research that suggest that these complications can double and even more than double the risk of future cardiovascular diseases, including heart attack. Scientists have suspected that they may either reveal an underlying vulnerability to heart disease or trigger lasting inflammation or damage to blood vessels.

Mental health is another underappreciated piece of the puzzle. Women are about twice as likely as men to experience mental health conditions, and that disparity carries heart-related consequences. SELF reports that women with depression face a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease than men with the same diagnosis, and psychological distress appears to raise future heart risk in women but not men. Researchers believe women may experience more intense mental health symptoms or a stronger biological stress response, which could translate into greater strain on the heart over time.

Autoimmune diseases add yet another layer of risk. These conditions, which are roughly twice as common in women, are characterized by chronic inflammation. Over years, that inflammation can damage the lining of blood vessels, quietly increasing the likelihood of a heart attack.

The biggest issue is that many of these atypical risk factors are not included in the standard tools doctors use to estimate heart attack risk. As a result, opportunities to intervene early are often missed, particularly in younger women. In one study of 3,500 young people who experienced a heart attack, women were significantly less likely than men to recall a doctor ever discussing their heart disease risk.

This gap in awareness carries over to diagnosis and treatment. Because heart attacks are still widely stereotyped as an older man’s problem, young women may not recognize what is happening when symptoms appear, even when those symptoms include classic chest pain. At the same time, the message that women often have “different” heart attack symptoms can backfire, leading some to dismiss chest discomfort altogether. Both things can be true: chest pain or pressure remains the most common symptom across sexes, but women are also more likely to experience additional, less typical signs.

These can include pain or tightness anywhere from the jaw to the abdomen, shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, unusual fatigue, or a vague sense that something just isn’t right. For many women, the sensation is not dramatic or crushing, just unfamiliar, which makes it easier to ignore. Combine that with the reality that women’s symptoms are more likely to be downplayed or attributed to anxiety or stress, and delays in seeking care become almost inevitable. Research cited by SELF even shows women are more likely to call an ambulance for a male partner than for themselves.

<h2>Why Is The Diagnosis Trickier In Women?</h2>

Diagnosis becomes even trickier when a heart attack is triggered by something other than the classic plaque buildup in the arteries—a scenario that appears to be far more common in younger women. A 2025 Mayo Clinic study found that more than half of heart attacks in women under 65 were caused by nontraditional mechanisms such as blood clots traveling to the heart, artery spasms, or spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), compared with about a quarter of cases in men. SCAD, in particular, overwhelmingly affects women.

Doctors are still unraveling why these atypical heart attacks skew female, but theories point to a mix of genetics, differences in blood vessel structure, hormonal fluctuations, and the effects of intense physical or emotional stress. Because these events are not driven by plaque, they can strike women who have none of the classic risk factors, making them easier to miss and harder to diagnose in time.

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"You are 35; you are healthy. It is probably a panic attack," said Kristina Auwarter, as reports SELF Magazine, when she first felt a throbbing pain in her chest when she was picking her son up from his crib. There was nothing to be worried about she thought because she had been working out, her blood work was fine. She thought it was just a heartburn and popped Tums. Had it not been her sister who was home that day, she wouldn't have called 9-1-1. When she reached at the hospital, she learned what she had was a heart attack. She learned that she had a total blockage in the largest of the three arteries that feed the heart. She is far from someone who would get a heart attack. However, a 2018 study published in AHA|ASA Journals show that there had been a surge in younger patients, under 54 for heart attack between 1995 and 2004, and it has led to a 10% jump among women being hospitalized for the same, while the proportion of men remained the same. Another 2019 research by the American College of Cardiology reported that people under age of 50 were reporting more heart attacks, and the number had jumped to 2% each year from 2000 to 2016. For women, the long-term impact of a heart attack at a young age is often more severe. Multiple studies show that younger women are less likely than men to receive timely tests and appropriate treatments, and are more likely to be re-hospitalized or die later from heart disease.Are Younger Women More Prone To Heart Attack?Hormonal conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) can accelerate risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and elevated blood sugar. All of them could fuel plaque buildup in the arteries. This has become even more common due to less nutritious diets and increasingly sedentary lifestyle. While these are some of the traditional risk factors, non-traditional risk factors often disproportionately affect young women. These include adverse pregnancy outcomes such as hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes. Rates of pregnancy-related high blood pressure have doubled over the past two decades, while gestational diabetes has climbed by roughly 30%, trends likely tied to worsening pre-pregnancy health and lifestyle shifts that are not particularly heart-friendly.The matter of the fact is that for the longest these conditions were viewed as temporary problems, confined to pregnancy. The assumption was, one a person delivered, the dangers passed, however, it is not the case. There are numerous research that suggest that these complications can double and even more than double the risk of future cardiovascular diseases, including heart attack. Scientists have suspected that they may either reveal an underlying vulnerability to heart disease or trigger lasting inflammation or damage to blood vessels.Mental health is another underappreciated piece of the puzzle. Women are about twice as likely as men to experience mental health conditions, and that disparity carries heart-related consequences. SELF reports that women with depression face a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease than men with the same diagnosis, and psychological distress appears to raise future heart risk in women but not men. Researchers believe women may experience more intense mental health symptoms or a stronger biological stress response, which could translate into greater strain on the heart over time.Autoimmune diseases add yet another layer of risk. These conditions, which are roughly twice as common in women, are characterized by chronic inflammation. Over years, that inflammation can damage the lining of blood vessels, quietly increasing the likelihood of a heart attack.The biggest issue is that many of these atypical risk factors are not included in the standard tools doctors use to estimate heart attack risk. As a result, opportunities to intervene early are often missed, particularly in younger women. In one study of 3,500 young people who experienced a heart attack, women were significantly less likely than men to recall a doctor ever discussing their heart disease risk.This gap in awareness carries over to diagnosis and treatment. Because heart attacks are still widely stereotyped as an older man’s problem, young women may not recognize what is happening when symptoms appear, even when those symptoms include classic chest pain. At the same time, the message that women often have “different” heart attack symptoms can backfire, leading some to dismiss chest discomfort altogether. Both things can be true: chest pain or pressure remains the most common symptom across sexes, but women are also more likely to experience additional, less typical signs.These can include pain or tightness anywhere from the jaw to the abdomen, shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, unusual fatigue, or a vague sense that something just isn’t right. For many women, the sensation is not dramatic or crushing, just unfamiliar, which makes it easier to ignore. Combine that with the reality that women’s symptoms are more likely to be downplayed or attributed to anxiety or stress, and delays in seeking care become almost inevitable. Research cited by SELF even shows women are more likely to call an ambulance for a male partner than for themselves.Why Is The Diagnosis Trickier In Women?Diagnosis becomes even trickier when a heart attack is triggered by something other than the classic plaque buildup in the arteries—a scenario that appears to be far more common in younger women. A 2025 Mayo Clinic study found that more than half of heart attacks in women under 65 were caused by nontraditional mechanisms such as blood clots traveling to the heart, artery spasms, or spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), compared with about a quarter of cases in men. SCAD, in particular, overwhelmingly affects women.Doctors are still unraveling why these atypical heart attacks skew female, but theories point to a mix of genetics, differences in blood vessel structure, hormonal fluctuations, and the effects of intense physical or emotional stress. Because these events are not driven by plaque, they can strike women who have none of the classic risk factors, making them easier to miss and harder to diagnose in time.