Causes of heartburn in women

Heart burn

When acid comes back up into a person’s esophagus resulting in a burning sensation this is called heart burn. If a person suffers from heartburn that is repetitive, it is called gastroesophageal reflux disease and in short GERD. Some people state that the condition is heightened when they bend over or when they are in a horizontal position. If someone experiences infrequent heartburn it should not be a concern though if a person experiences heart burn on a regular basis then they should seek the advice of a doctor to be examined for any other possibly more severe concerns. It should be noted that pregnant women may experience heart burn on a more regular basis than usual.

The Symptoms of Heart Burn

If you have heart burn you will notice a burning feeling in the area of your chest. Usually people feel this burning after eating and in the evening time. As stated before, the heart burn may start to become worse when your body is in a horizontal position, so either bending over or lying down can increase the symptoms. Unfortunately a lot of women will make the mistake if thinking they are experiencing a heart attack rather than heart burn as the symptoms are similar. If you are at all worried then you should see your doctor especially if you experience the symptoms of heart burn more than twice in a week and/or if medications do not work and/or you find it difficult to swallow.

What Triggers Heart Burn

Heart burn can be set off by a number of causes. Some food products and even condiments can prompt an attack. Some foods to keep an eye on are tomato sauce, mustard, vinegar, colas, chocolate, ketchup, peppermint, alcoholic drinks, orange juice, black pepper and fried foods. As it is a rather long list it would be advisable to keep a food diary to see when your heart burn affects you and what foods does it coincide with. Being overweight in general and women that are carrying a child may also experience heart burn.

Treatment for Heart Burn

There are some medications like antacid that you can buy over the counter that will help slightly but only provisionally. There are other medication that are called Pepcid AC and Zantac 75 and these are H-2-receptor blockers which will stop the acid production. Check your diet and keep a food diary to see if it is the foods that you eat that are causing you to suffer with heart burn.