What are the most important medical symptoms women should not ignore?

While any symptom that causes you distress should be reported to your doctor, there are some specific signs no woman should ever ignore. They include:

• Heart attack: Pain or discomfort in the center of the chest sometimes accompanied by pain in the upper body including arms, back, neck, jaw, or stomach; shortness of breath; a cold sweat; nausea; and lightheadedness.
• Stroke: Sudden or developing problems with speech, sight, balance, and coordination, as well as numbness or weakness in the face, arms, or legs.
• Reproductive health problems: Bleeding or spotting between periods; itching, burning, bumps, blisters, or sores on the vagina or genital area; pain during sex; severe menstrual pain; severe pelvic pain; unusual vaginal discharge, particularly with a strong odor; lower back pain with bloating and/or feelings of fullness.
• Breast problems: Nipple discharge, breast tenderness or pain, changes in the skin covering the breast or nipples (ridges, dimpling, pitting, swelling, redness, or scaling), lump or thickening in the tissue of the breast or underarm area, or tenderness in these areas.
• Digestive or stomach problems: Bleeding from the rectum; blood or mucus in the stool or black stools; change in bowel habits; constipation, diarrhea, or both; constant heartburn; pain or feeling of fullness in stomach; bloating; vomiting blood.
• Skin problems: Changes in the color, shape, or size of a mole; small lump on skin that is smooth, shiny, and waxy and often reddish brown in color; painful, crusty, scaling, or oozing skin lesions that don’t heal within 14 days.