How Much Do You Know About Women’s Heart Health?

By: Jane Andrews
Estimated Completion Time
6 min
How Much Do You Know About Women’s Heart Health?
Image: boonchai wedmakawand / Moment / Getty Images

About This Quiz

For years, heart disease has primarily been thought of as a man's illness. But this is far from the case. In reality, it's the leading cause of death of women in the United States, responsible for approximately one in every three fatalities a year. That's nearly one woman each minute!

Luckily, about 80 percent of cardiac events can be prevented with lifestyle changes and education. In addition to exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy diet and managing your stress levels, being aware of common heart disease symptoms and risk factors is an essential part of prevention. What's more, it's important to understand that these factors are not always the same for men and women. While some health issues can increase the risk of heart disease in both males and females — high cholesterol and obesity, for example — others disproportionately affect women, including menopause, depression, inactivity and pregnancy complications. Being familiar with these nuances could save your life or the life of someone you love.

So, how much do you think you know when it comes to women's heart health? This quiz will test your knowledge of all things cardiovascular, from common heart attack warning signs and risk factors to interesting statistics and health misconceptions. Let's see how well you do!



1 symptoms of heart attack
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Which of the following are common symptoms of heart attack in women?
Fatigue and shortness of breath
Nausea
Jaw pain
All of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Heart attack signs can differ between men and women. Women are less likely to have dramatic symptoms (chest pain, for example) and more likely to experience nausea, fatigue, shortness of breath and pain in the jaw area.

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2 risk factor of heart disease
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What percentage of women in the U.S. have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease?
25 percent
50 percent
75 percent
90 percent
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

These risk factors include smoking, being overweight or obese, and not engaging in physical activity. Being diabetic and having high blood pressure or high cholesterol can also put you at greater risk.

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3 birth control
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Is it true that birth control pills can increase a woman’s risk of having a heart attack?
No
Yes
Only if the woman already has signs of heart disease
Only if the woman has already had a heart attack
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Birth control pills can raise a woman's risk of having a heart attack because they increase the likelihood of blood clotting. This risk, however, is small, particularly for healthy women under 35 who do not smoke or have other heart disease risk factors.

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4 broken heart syndrome
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Broken heart syndrome is a condition that occurs almost exclusively in women. What it is?
Another term for a heart attack
Another term for cardiac arrest
Temporary heart muscle failure brought on by extreme stress
Permanent heart muscle failure brought on by serious depressive episodes
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While symptoms of broken heart syndrome are similar to those of a heart attack and include shortness of breath and chest pains, the condition is temporary and not associated with artery blockage. Most women recover fully from broken heart syndrome.

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5 heart attack
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Do you know what the term myocardial infarction refers to?
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
Heart attack
Dehydration
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Myocardial infarction is the medical term for a heart attack. In both men and women, heart attacks are most often the result of coronary artery disease (CAD), which is what happens when the arteries become clogged.

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6 heart disease
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True or false? Heart disease kills more women each year than breast cancer.
True
False
This used to be the case but is not anymore.
We do not know which disease is more deadly.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), women have a greater risk of dying from heart disease — while one in 31 American women die from breast cancer each year, one in three succumb to heart disease on a yearly basis.

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7 coronary artery disease
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What's the most common type of heart disease among women in the U.S.?
Coronary artery disease
Congenital heart disease
Arrhythmia
Heart valve disease
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Coronary artery disease is the most common form of heart disease among both men and women in the U.S. According to the CDC, it causes the deaths of about 610,000 people each year, nearly 300,000 of which are women.

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8 calorie consumption
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Doctors often say it's important for women to "know their numbers" to prevent cardiovascular disease. Which of the following is not one of these must-know health numbers?
Body mass index (BMI)
Blood sugar
HDL cholesterol
Number of calories you consume daily
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While it's important to be aware of the general number of calories you consume in a day to maintain a healthy weight, "knowing your numbers" refers to HDL cholesterol, blood sugar and BMI.

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9 pregnancy
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Do you know how much harder the heart has to work during pregnancy?
5% to 10% more than average
10% to 15% percent more than average
30% to 50% percent more than average
90% percent more than average
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While most healthy women are able accommodate this extra demand to help nourish a fetus, a small percent may develop some type of vascular complication, such as pre-eclampsia or hypertension.

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10 menopause
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After menopause, what happens to a woman's risk of heart disease?
It goes down.
It goes up.
It stays the same.
It depends on the age in which menopause onset occurs
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Heart disease can develop at any time during a woman's life, but the risk increases with age and can become more evident after menopause. This may be due to the decline of the hormone estrogen, which is thought to have a positive effect on artery walls and helps keep blood vessels flexible.

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11 moderate exercise
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To maintain good heart health, how many minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity should a woman get per week?
At least 150 minutes
At least 30 minutes
At least 45 minutes
Physical activity doesn't directly affect heart health.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends women get at least 150 minutes (about two and a half hours) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week. This can include activities like brisk walking, running, bicycling or spinning.

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12 high stress
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True or false? High stress levels can contribute to the risk of heart disease.
True
False
True, but only if there's a history of heart disease in your family
True, but the risk drops if you take anti-anxiety medication
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Because stress can cause your arteries to tighten, it increases your risk of heart disease, particularly coronary microvascular disease, which affects the walls and inner lining of small coronary artery blood vessels.

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13 gallons of blood pumped
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Do you know how many gallons of blood your heart pumps each day?
1,000
2,000
5,000
10,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Your heart is responsible for delivering blood to all of the organs in your body. The 2,000 gallons it pumps each day adds up to approximately one million barrels over an average lifetime.

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14 mood swing
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Which of the following is not a symptom of heart attack in women?
Chest pain
Jaw pain
Dizziness and/or nausea
Mood swings
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While rapid heart rate and anxiety can be signs of heart attack, major mood swings such as depressive episodes or periods of elation are not direct indicators of cardiovascular issues.

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15 bad cholesterol LDL
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When doctors say it's important to know your "bad" cholesterol levels to prevent heart disease, which type of they referring to?
LDL
HDL
Lipids
Triglycerides
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Known as low density lipoprotein, LDL cholesterol is what transports the blood in our bodies to our cells. When we have too much LDL cholesterol in our system, it leaves deposits in our arteries, which clogs them and can lead to heart disease.

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16 good cholesterol HDL
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Why is HDL considered "good" cholesterol?
It's full of nutrients
It carries cholesterol back to your liver
It helps release feel-good hormones into your blood
It aids in digestion
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

High density lipoprotein (HDL) is referred to as the "good" cholesterol because it soaks up other forms of cholesterol in your bloodstream and transports it to your liver, where it's broken down and removed from your body.

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17 statins to lower LDL
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Which of the following types of drugs are used to lower LDL cholesterol?
Statins
Analgesics
Benzodiazepines
Beta blockers
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Statins are one of the most widely used forms of medication for lowering LDL cholesterol because they cause very few side effects. They work by preventing the formation of cholesterol in the liver, which reduces the amount of cholesterol that circulates in the bloodstream.

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18 vitamins
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True or false? Taking megadoses of vitamin E is good for the heart.
True
False
True, but only in people who already have signs of heart disease
True, but only when specifically prescribed by a doctor
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Based on findings from a clinical trial performed in the 1990s, taking large doses of vitamin E was once touted as a way to reduce the risk of heart attack. The findings of this study have since been debunked, however, and vitamin E supplementation is no longer recommended as a method for lowering heart attack risk.

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19 high blood pressure
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Do you know why high blood pressure is considered a "silent" risk for cardiovascular disease?
There is not much known about how to prevent or treat high blood pressure.
High blood pressure can only be detected with a stethoscope.
People can have high blood pressure but exhibit no symptoms.
There's a stigma associated with high blood pressure.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease, but it often goes undetected because many people who have hight blood pressure do not experience any symptoms. That's why it's essential to see your doctor regularly and have your blood pressure checked.

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20 quitting smoking
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Which of the following is the most significant preventative measure a women can take to lower her risk of heart disease?
Quit smoking
Reduce salt intake
Take blood thinners
Reduce stress
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Smoking is the biggest preventable risk factor for heart attack and stroke in both men and women. However, it's especially important for women. According to the American Heart Association, women who smoke have a 25% higher risk of developing heart disease than men who smoke.

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21 turn off cell phone
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Surprisingly, doing one of the following things may help keep your blood pressure down. Which is it?
Increasing your intake of salt
Eating small amounts of chocolate
Turning off your cellphone
Avoiding aerobic activity
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

According to a 2013 Italian research study conducted for the American Society of Hypertension, hearing your cellphone ring can cause blood pressure to jump as much as seven points.

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22 sodium
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What's the maximum amount of sodium a woman should consume in a day?
1,000 mg
5,5000 mg
3,500 mg
2,300 mg
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The American Heart Association recommends that both women and men consume no more than 2,300 mg of sodium daily, which is about the amount in just one teaspoon of salt. For people with certain risk factors, such as age or hypertension, the daily max is 1,500 mg a day.

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23 peripheral artery disease
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This cardiovascular disease, which commonly affects the arteries in your legs, has an 11 percent higher death rate in women than men. Do you know which one it is?
Coronary microvascular disease
Peripheral artery disease
Rheumatic heart disease
Dilated cardiomyopathy
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) results when plaque builds up in the arteries that carry blood to your head, organs and limbs. In addition to arteries in the legs, it can also affect the arteries that carry blood from your heart to your stomach, kidneys, head and arms.

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24 dental hygene
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True or false? Dental hygiene and heart health have no connection.
True
False
They have only been linked in women.
They have only been linked in men.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Good oral hygiene practice such as flossing and brushing at least twice a day may lower the risk of cardiovascular disease in both men and women. Studies suggest that periodontitis (gum disease) can increase blood pressure and interfere with medications to treat hypertension.

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25 christmas eve
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During which of the following holidays are heart attacks most likely to happen?
New Year's Eve
Thanksgiving
Christmas Eve
Fourth of July
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A 2018 study out of Sweden found that Christmas Eve is the worst day of the year for heart attacks in both men and women. The findings showed that the risk goes up by nearly 40%.

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26 heart size
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How big is the human heart?
About the size of a clenched fist
About the size of a watermelon
About the size of a softball
About the size of a pea
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On average, the human heart is about the size of a clenched fist, thought the female heart tends to be a little smaller — about two-thirds the size of a man's. In addition, studies have shown that the male heart slightly enlarges over time, while a woman's heart stays the same or becomes slightly smaller.

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27 diet soda
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Drinking too much of one of these beverages can increase a woman's risk of heart attack. Do you know which one?
Orange juice
Diet soda
Milk
Seltzer
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

According to a 2019 study by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association, drinking two or more cans of any artificially sweetened beverage, including diet soda, can increase the risk of heart attacks and clot-based strokes in women over the age of 50.

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28 women wait
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In terms of how men and women react to heart attack symptoms, studies have shown which of the following to be true?
Women wait longer than men to seek treatment for heart attack symptoms.
Men wait longer than women to seek treatment for heart attack symptoms.
Women tend to sweat more and experience dizziness when having a heart attack.
Women tend to have more sudden onset symptoms than men.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A 2019 Swiss study found that women wait 37 minutes longer than men to call 911 when experiencing symptoms of a heart attack. If you think you're having a heart attack, it's essential to get help right away — 85%t of heart damage occurs within the first two hours of a heart attack.

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29 chest pain
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What's the medical term for chest pain?
Atherosclerosis
Ischemia
Angina
There is no medical term for chest pain.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Angina occurs when there is a lack of blood flow to the heart. While it can go away quickly, it's often a symptom of heart disease in both men and women. Pain is also sometimes felt in the arms, neck or jaw.

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30 dash diet
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Do you know what the DASH diet is?
A diet that consists of meals you can eat on the go
A short-term eating plan that involves eliminating sugar from your diet for 30 days
A long-term diet that promotes heart-healthy food choices
It's another name for the paleo diet.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Short for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, the DASH diet is an evidence-based eating plan designed to improve heart health and help lower blood pressure. Based on research funded by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, it promotes a balance of vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy products, fish, poultry, beans and nuts.

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31 diabetes
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Which of the following statements is true?
Having diabetes increases a woman's risk of developing heart disease.
Having oily skin and acne increase a woman's risk of developing heart disease.
Migraine headaches can be a symptom of heart attack in women.
Women under the age of 30 do not need to worry about developing heart disease.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Women who have diabetes have a higher risk of developing heart disease and having a heart attack or a stroke. If you have diabetes, it's essential to keep the illness controlled by seeing your doctor, monitoring your blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and taking medication if necessary.

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32 PCOS
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Which of the following conditions can increase a woman's risk of heart disease?
Premenstrual dysphonic disorder (PMDD)
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
Polcystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
Amenorrhea (the absence of menstrual bleeding)
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

PCOS is a hormonal disorder that results in enlarged ovaries with small cysts on the outer edges. It's commonly associated with high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides and low HDL levels, all of which increase heart attack risk.

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33 aha
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Do you know the name of the American Heart Association's signature initiative for women?
Heart Health for Women
Happy Hearts for Women
Go Red for Women
Healthy Hearts for Women
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Developed in 2004, Go Red for Women was created to raise awareness of heart disease in women and debunk the myth that it is primarily a man's illness. The initiative spearheads educational programs across the country.

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34 alcohol
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Drinking alcohol in excess can increase heart disease risk. For women, what is considered moderate drinking?
No more than one alcoholic drink per day
No more than three alcoholic drinks per day
No more than five alcoholic drinks per day
No more than seven alcoholic drinks per day
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, moderate drinking for women is defined as no more than one alcoholic drink per day, while moderate drinking for men is defined as no more than two alcoholic drinks per day.

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35 heartbeats
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How many times does the average heart beat in a lifetime?
Less than one million
2.5 million
2.5 billion
2.5 trillion
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The heart is an amazing organ that works hard to keep you going. In both women and men, it beats an average of 100,000 times per day, which adds up to approximately 2.5 billion times in a lifetime.

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You Got:
/35
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