There are many diseases and health conditions that affect both men and women but medical science is only first beginning to recognize that although men and women share the same health issues, they may not share the exact same symptoms or risks. Cancer, mental health, cardiovascular disease don’t have a clear gender bias when it comes to choosing victims, but the signs and symptoms aren’t always the same.

Cancer

Men get breast cancer at much lower rates than women.

Non-smoking women get lung cancer at higher rates than men, which could be linked to estrogen. They also respond to different cancer treatments than men in select studies.

Alcohol addiction

Men are more likely than women to become dependent on and addicted to alcohol, but the effects of the disease tend to be worse for women. In women, alcohol addiction can lead to an increased risk of developing breast cancer, heart disease, and fetal alcohol syndrome.

STDs/STIs

Untreated sexually transmitted diseases and infections tend to be more serious for women because they tend to be untreated for longer. Symptoms may be harder to spot and they may be mistaken for less serious conditions, such as yeast infections. Left untreated, STDs/STIs can lead to infertility.

Heart disease

Most people are familiar with the symptoms of a heart attack: chest pain, severe stomach pain, shortness of breath, dizziness. For women the symptoms can be less obvious, making heart attacks more deadly as women fail to recognize the signs and seek treatment. In women, signs of a heart attack can include fatigue that lasts several days or sudden severe fatigue, anxiety, sleep troubles, shortness of breath, indigestion or gas-like pain, jaw pain that spreads to your shoulders back. Symptoms can also be different in women that over 50 and include severe chest pain, pain or discomfort in both arms, rapid or irregular heartbeat and sweating.

Stroke symptoms in women are also different from the classic signs that men exhibit. They tend to be vague and may include loss of consciousness or fainting, difficulty, breathing, pain, and seizures.

Women may be at higher risk for certain health conditions because they tend to delay treatment as they don’t recognize signs and symptoms of serious medical problems.

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