Make the Call. Don't Miss a Beat.

A woman suffers a heart attack every 90 seconds in the United States. One in three women 40 plus will have a heart attack sometime in their lifetime. Awareness of heart attack and heart disease has increased over the years, yet women still don't seem to recognize their own personal risk. While they would call 9-1-1 if someone else was having symptoms; they would most likely wait out their own symptoms - delaying their care, treatment and survival chance.

The Make the Call. Don't Miss a Beat. campaign aims to educate, engage and empower women and their families on the seven symptoms of a heart attack that most commonly present themselves in women. These include: chest pain, discomfort, pressure or squeezing; shortness of breath; nausea; light-headedness or sudden dizziness; unusual upper body pain, or discomfort in one or both arms, back, shoulder, neck, jaw, or upper part of the stomach; unusual fatigue; and breaking out in a cold sweat.

The next step is to act fast and know the best way to get help. When given quickly, medications and other treatments can stop a heart attack and prevent or limit damage to the heart. Although one-half of women say they would call 9-1-1 if they were having a heart attack, fewer than one in four actually do so. "If you have any of the symptoms of a heart attack or if you think you might be having one, call 9-1-1 immediately for emergency medical care. Doing the right thing is just as important as acting quickly," states Patti Andrews, Public Health Nurse.

Check out the website: http://womenshealth.gov/HeartAttack/ to learn more.