Heart Attack
The telltale heart attack sign of feeling like there’s an elephant sitting on your chest isn’t as common in women as it is in men. Many women feel upper back pressure, jaw pain, and are short of breath. Or they may feel nauseated and dizzy instead.
Though heart disease is the leading cause of death for both genders in the U.S., women are more likely to die after they have a heart attack.
Multiple Sclerosis
Diseases that affect the immune system are often more severe in men.
For example, MS affects many more women than men overall, but when it comes to the primary progressive form (PPMS), men get it in equal numbers to women. PPMS tends to be harder to diagnose and treat than the relapsing remitting form of MS.
Stroke
Nearly 55,000 more women than men have strokes each year in the U.S. Common symptoms are sudden weakness on one side, loss of speech and balance, and confusion.
But women often have additional or different symptoms: fainting, agitation, hallucinations, vomiting, pain, hiccups, and seizures. Women typically have a worse recovery after a stroke, too.
STDs
Women are less likely to have symptoms with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) like chlamydia and gonorrhea. STDs can also lead to chronic pelvic inflammatory disease in women, causing fertility issues. Men seldom have such complications.
The human papillomavirus (HPV) is also the main cause of cervical cancer in women …
