It's February, a month when people think about their heart and the health of their heart on a more regular basis.

One thing that has come to light recently is that heart disease is not only a men's health issue, but it is also something that is affecting women more commonly than we think. Heart disease is the most common cause of death for both women and men.

The Heart & Stroke Foundation published reports on heart disease and stroke in 2018 demonstrating that women in Canada are under-researched, under-diagnosed, under-treated and under-supported during recovery and under-aware of their risks.

Dr. Olga Toleva is an interventional cardiologist at St. Boniface Hospital. She says it is important to put a focus on females and the health of their heart.

"For many years in the past it was believed that women don't suffer from heart disease or not as prevalently as men," Dr. Toleva explained. "Now we know there is a high risk of developing heart conditions in women. And some heart conditions are more specific to women than men."

One of the conditions that affect women more specifically is Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD). It is an emergency condition that occurs when a tear forms in a blood vessel in the heart. As blood flow is slowed or blocked entirely, the result can be a heart attack, heart rhythm abnormalities, or sudden death. This condition most commonly affects pregnant and menopausal women.

When it comes to heart attacks in women, symptoms are not always obvious. When a man has a heart attack they will quite often have a crushing pain in their chest and numbness in their arm. Women on the other hand experience slight discomfort in their chest, pain in their arms, shoulder and jaw area and just a general feeling of unwell.

Dr. Toleva says it is important to take preventative measures to reduce the risk of having a heart attack. They include reducing our cholesterol by eating a proper diet, exercising, being healthy, consulting with a doctor for the levels of cholesterol, reducing our blood pressure, taking control of diabetes and obesity and also staying away from smoking.