Why are women more prone to heart disease?

Boy, have I really considered this. I have a wife and 2 grown daughters. What I consider is the increasing rate of heart disease that women are having.

Here are my thoughts on why:
*Stress {In my youth, women were stay at home Mothers. Now they work 8 or more hours a day, then come home to more work and stress}
*Fast foods that contain trans fats and other bad "stuff"
*Birth control pills? Hormone replacement? General tinkering with the female body to reduce the population increase in the world, and at the women's expense.
*Obesity {Both genders are getting fatter, but maybe a higher rate for women?}
*Anatomy; women have smaller coronary arteries compared to men. {either the Good Lord, or evolution has made it harder for you to compete with the capacity of a man's arteries. Most women are smaller than men, so maybe it is just all relative. I don't know. Men used to have to kill saber tooth tigers and such....So they did a lot of running, lol.
*Exercise; in the days of my youth, women did lots of physical work and most of all, they were very happy in doing it. Not a lot of stress was involved if you don't consider having 3 or 4 crying babies to raise and nurture as being stressful :) Women of today need a regular exercise routine that they enjoy.
*Exposure to environmental hazzards that previously only men were exposed to. {tough work in industrial dumps}
*Smoking; I really don't know if the percentage of female smokers has increased, as compared to men, but if it has then this is the major cause!

Well, I am out of guesses now....I do hope that women also realize that their heart disease symptoms are much different than those of men, sometimes. The word is out amongst all, but still some hospitals seem to think that women are hysterical, when they relate their symptoms. Stereotypes are hard to change.

Doctors tend to use statistics a lot. The national statistics say that a much higher percentage of men who go to the ER with heart disease symptoms, actually have heart disease more often than women, that come to the ER with heart disease symptoms. If I recall correctly, the percentages are ~70% for men as compared to~40% for women.

Rj

Hi J Rene, I think Aldo explained it very well. I also agree with els.Both sides of my family also have had heart disease.And now I have it as well. I think genes plays a big role in heart disease. My cardio Doc. said that I have very small arteries which is genetic.Just wanted to put my 2 cents worth in!

You are all much too kind.....Just stay well please :)

Rj

mine is also genes and then also our predispostion to it to being syndrom X  over weight, smoking, high cholesterol not exercising etc  and us women have estrogen and after we go through menopause or in primenopause we can get our risk higher I lost both sets of parents before age 70 I had my first heart atack on or table in 1999 of Jan. then that August I lost my twin borhter at age of 43. I also am a spokes person for Go red Campaignand all  reposnes up above were 110% on the nedle and thensome more too. I am alsoa vol first responder fro our fire/rescue dept too heidi