What are the Most Important Medical Symptoms a Woman Shouldn't Ignore?

Reader question: What are the most important medical symptoms a woman shouldn't ignore?

Dr. Heidi Renner, Loyola Center for Health, Burr Ridge:

Many of the key symptoms which should not be ignored are not specific
to women alone. Women, however, can have different presentations for
common medical illnesses such as heart attack, stroke, etc. Complaints
which warrant further evaluation by a physican, and which should not be
ignored by a patient, are as follows:

1. Chest pain—whether it be chest pain associated with activity,
pressure in the chest, new onset indigestion, jaw pain or arm pain—all
of these symptoms should be evaluated by a physician

2. Numbness/ tingling/ weakness/ slurred speech—all of these symptoms
can be indicators of an acute neurologic process and should be evaluated
emergently

3. Shortness of breath—difficulty breathing can be an idicator of
several disease processes ranging from infections, like pneumonia or
bronchitis, to pulmonary problems, such as asthma or blood clots in the
lung, to cardiac problems, such as a heart attack

4. New onset headaches—while most women have headaches at some point
in their life, a change in headache frequently or character can be an
indicator of a bigger problem

5. Post menopausal bleeding—any bleeding which occurs after a women
has completed menopause should be evaluated by a doctor

6. Sudden change in menses—any change in menstrual periods such as
new onset menstrual irregularity, heaving bleeding, or absense of menses
require further testing

7. Vaginal discharge/ odor—both of these symptoms may be signs of an
STD or vaginal infection and often requires testing and treatment with
an antibiotic

8. Breast changes—any new breast findings such as skin changes,
masses, or tenderness should be taken seriously

9. Unexplained changes in weight—unexplained weight loss or weight
gain can be indicators of underlying malignancy, thyroid disorders, or
other metabolic problems. Along with changes in energy level , these
symptoms warrant further work-up