Health Symptoms Women Should Never Ignore

It's easy to brush off seemingly innocuous health symptoms in these challenging times. Research shows that fewer people have been going to see their doctors amid the coronavirus pandemic (via Johns Hopkins Medicine). But waiting too long to get a check-up could be more dangerous for your health than contracting the virus, warned Dr. Brian Hasselfeld, a physician and assistant medical director at Johns Hopkins, as it may result in a delay to receive a potential diagnosis and early treatment for a life-threatening condition.

According to a 2014 study published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, women are more likely than men to dismiss heart health concerns, often waiting for their symptoms to worsen before taking action. While it's natural to feel under the weather every now and again — a headache is often just a headache — it's important to pay attention to your body's signals that something isn't quite right. Here are some health symptoms women, in particular, should never ignore.

Primary dysmenorrhea is the medical term given to the cramping that typically accompanies menstruation, as noted by Healthline. It can be chalked up to a hormone called prostaglandin, which causes the uterus to contract. More than 50% of women experience some sort of pain for one to two days during their period, but when this becomes so severe or frequent that it interferes with day-to-day functioning, it might be the result of secondary dysmenorrhea (via Healthline). This kind of pain tends to worsen over time and lasts longer than normal cramps. It can be due to gynecological problems like ovarian cysts or fibroids or conditions like Crohn's disease and urinary disorders, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Likewise, the heaviness of menstrual flow will vary from woman to woman, and sometimes even cycle to cycle. Menstrual bleeding that's abnormally heavy or lasts more than seven days, known as menorrhagia, is commonly caused by hormone-related conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), insulin resistance, or a thyroid problem (via CDC). But when can a period be considered too heavy?

Some signs of menorrhagia include a period that lasts longer than a week, contains large blood clots, or requires you to change your tampon or pad every hour for several consecutive hours, as advised by the CDC. Menorrhagia can be linked to uterine or cervical cancer, which is why women experiencing this type of bleeding shouldn't postpone a visit to their doctor for a proper evaluation.

Fluids leaking from one or both nipples can suggest a host of medical issues depending on the color and texture, ranging from infection to hormones to fibrocystic breast changes (via Self). It isn't necessarily a sign of something ominous, however. Milky discharge from both nipples is fairly normal during pregnancy or breastfeeding, triggered by an increase in the hormone prolactin, which produces milk. But an overproduction of prolactin can also occur in women who develop a benign growth in the pituitary gland, as explained by the publication.

"Nipple discharge is ... very rarely due to breast cancer," Therese Bartholomew Bevers, a professor of clinical cancer prevention and fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, confirmed to Self. And interestingly, it's also possible for women to experience discharge for no clear reason at all. However, if you notice discharge of any sort, get it checked out to put your mind at ease. Seeking medical help early can ensure that any underlying problem is detected and treated before becoming something more pressing.

Women are more likely to experience breathlessness compared to men, according to a study published in Experimental Physiology (via BBC News). If you've been struggling to catch your breath, you may have dyspnea. This can be temporary, lasting only a minute or two after strenuous activity, or it could be chronic, lingering for several weeks (via Healthline). Whether it's mild breathlessness or feeling as though you're suffocating, dyspnea can be frightening.

Dyspnea can be a manifestation of various health issues like asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis, or heart disease, as well as a psychological ailment like anxiety, Healthline explained. It also happens to be a common side effect of advanced lung cancer, whereby a tumor may be pressing against the lungs or blocking the air passageway (via Yale Medicine).

If you feel as though you can't get enough air, flag this with your doctor to prevent any long-term complications and exclude the possibility of cancer. Whatever the underlying reason, sudden or stubborn breathlessness should be treated as an emergency.

Chest pain gets the most attention when you think about the symptoms of a heart attack. "As with men, women's most common heart attack symptom is chest pain (angina) or discomfort," the American Heart Association confirmed. "But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain."

If you're experiencing any type of pain, whether it is sharp, dull, or constant, try not to panic — but don't wait too long to get it checked out. Not all heart attacks come on suddenly and dramatically like in the movies. Many start slowly and build up gradually with only mild pain in the early stages (via Harvard Health Publishing).

Only 20% of Americans evaluated for chest pains are diagnosed with a heart attack or "unstable angina" each year, noted Harvard Health Publishing. Other potentially life-threatening health issues that typically induce chest pain include pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in the lungs) or aortic dissection (a tear in the inner layer of the aorta). In rare cases, this is also a symptom of lung cancer, which yields chest, shoulder, or back pain alongside a nagging cough (via American Cancer Society).

One of the most common causes of facial drooping is Bell's palsy, or temporary paralysis of the facial muscles that results in weakness on one side of the face, sometimes producing a lopsided smile (via Mayo Clinic). There's little certainty around what specifically triggers Bell's palsy, and although it is thought to be as common in men as it is in women, it does often occur in pregnant women as well as in people who have viral infections, like the flu or a cold (via Johns Hopkins Medicine). It's usually temporary and resolves itself over a few weeks or months but it can throw you through a loop, particularly if you don't know what you're dealing with. 

Facial drooping shouldn't be taken lightly, however, since it's also one of the main features and warning signs of a stroke, according to the American Stroke Association, the others being weakness and numbness in one arm and slurred speech. While facial drooping is a rare symptom of cancer, it can happen. Certain tumors have been known to lead to facial paralysis, which is why this symptom shouldn't be overlooked (via the Emory University School of Medicine).

Occasional swelling in one or both legs is fairly normal. Edema (the medical term for swelling) is brought on by excess fluid that builds up in the blood vessels. Causes that usually fall into the realm of harmlessness include inactivity, extended periods of sitting or standing, eating too many salty foods, or wearing tight clothing for long periods of time (via Cleveland Clinic). In these cases, movement can usually help restore circulation and decrease swelling. But when your symptoms persist or worsen, it's time to pay closer attention.

Edema could be related to a blood clot called deep-vein thrombosis (DVT), according to Drugs.com. DVT may partially or completely block blood flow in the legs and eventually make its way to the lungs, which could be fatal. Pregnancy elevates women's chances of developing DVT, as does hormone replacement therapy.

Other serious health problems that may give rise to edema include vein damage, congestive heart failure, and kidney or liver disease, all of which are preventable and treatable if caught early, explains Cleveland Clinic. Bottom line: Listen to your intuition if something feels off.

Like most mental health issues, suicidal ideation exists on a spectrum. Passively suicidal thoughts, in particular, are often downplayed or considered shameful and wrong (via Refinery29). But a 2014 study in Current Psychiatry shows that recurring thoughts around death and suicide, whether active or passive, shouldn't go ignored, and that a lack of therapeutic intervention could be detrimental in the long term. "If a person has spent time thinking about their own death and then a distressing event happens, they may begin to feel they have no choice but to end their own life," Dr. James Overholser, a suicide researcher and professor of psychology at Case Western Reserve University, told Refinery29.

The good news is that with therapeutic support, people can effectively manage chronic thoughts of suicide, Dr. Dan Reidenberg, a psychologist and the executive director of the Suicide Awareness Voices of Education, added. And for many people, these thoughts can go away entirely. If you're going through a difficult time or can't seem to kick challenging thoughts and emotions, don't hesitate to reach out to a doctor or therapist for a chat. You don't have to go at it alone.

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.