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“Most patients who have a heart attack get chest pain. Women are more likely to have symptoms, such as shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting, back pain, dizziness, light-headedness, upper back pressure or extreme fatigue,” said Professor Jamil Mayet, a cardiologist for OneWelbeck (onewelbeck.com).

“Traditional symptoms of a pressure or tightness coming and going in the centre of the chest lasting several minutes, discomfort in one or both arms and/or the jaw also occur in women suffering a heart attack.”

Other signs, such as a cold sweat, light-headedness or nausea, may occur with the pain.

“Some of the tests perform less well in women. Some treatments, such as coronary artery bypass grafting and coronary angioplasty and stenting, are less effective in women too,” said Mayet, who added that this is likely because women’s coronary arteries are often smaller than men’s.

Mayet says the fatty deposits that clog up our blood vessels, which can cause heart attacks and strokes, occur throughout our life. Early changes can even be seen in the vessels of teenagers.

He said: “Often good lifestyle habits slip when we start work and start families but that is a good time to take stock before bad habits get embedded.

“In women, there is a step increase in cardiovascular risk at the menopause, and if there hasn’t been assessment prior to that, this is a good time to start.”

“Hormones provide some protection in the pre-menopause years,” said Mayet. “At the time of the menopause, this protection is lost and the cardiovascular risk rises, and continues to rise with age.”

Mayet says recent evidence shows that menopausal women taking HRT may have no higher risk of dying from a heart attack than women who don’t.

“The more risk factors you have, the higher your chances of having a heart attack or a stroke,” said Mayet. “These include high blood