In honor of Mother’s Day being this past Sunday, the FDA has made the week of May 13 through 19 National Women’s Health Week to promote health for all women of every age. Use this week to serve as a reminder to schedule a doctor’s appointment not only for a regular checkup, but to discuss which screenings you should get done. Men can take part by encouraging the women in their lives to schedule their doctor appointments. This week also discusses heart disease in women and the signs of a heart attack. Do you know the seven most common signs women experience when having a heart attack? They are:

• Heavy ache or feeling of pressure on the chest
• Upper body pain
• Shortness of breath
• Cold sweat
• Unusual fatigue, even with plenty of sleep
• Feeling dizzy or light-headed
• Nausea or vomiting

Men experience heart attacks more often than women, but for women, it is more likely to be fatal, with researchers thinking it’s because they wait to get help. It’s important to know the signs to minimize any delay in calling 911. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the US, and can happen at any age.

Heart attack risk increases if one has diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol, so make sure you talk to your doctor about lifestyle factors to help prevent these conditions, or make sure you are properly treating these conditions if you’ve been diagnosed. More information here: http://go.usa.gov/xnWGa

Among other topics this week are tips for moms-to-be (http://go.usa.gov/x5PHY), the latest research in women’s health (http://go.usa.gov/x5PvV), taking medications properly (http://go.usa.gov/xXGAq), preventing food borne illness (http://go.usa.gov/xnxFM), and more. Go to www.fda.gov/womens for all the discussions on women’s health this week and ways to observe.

As we have just celebrated Mother’s Day, celebrate steps to stay healthy!

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