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Stress is a reaction to a change or a challenge. In the short term, stress can be helpful. It makes you more alert and gives you energy to get things done. But long-term stress can lead to serious health problems. Women are more likely than men to report symptoms of stress, including headaches and upset stomach. Women are also more likely to have mental health conditions that are made worse by stress, such as depression or anxiety.1
Stress is how your body reacts to certain situations, such as sudden danger or long-lasting challenge. During stressful events, your body releases chemicals called hormones, such as adrenaline. Adrenaline gives you a burst of energy that helps you cope and respond to stress. For example, one kind of stress is the jolt you may feel when a car pulls out in front of you. This jolt of adrenaline helps you quickly hit the brakes to avoid an accident.
Stress can range from mild and short-term to more extreme and long-lasting. Chronic (long-lasting) stress can affect your mental and physical health.
Stress affects everyone differently. Some ways that chronic or long-term stress affects women include:
People can feel stress from many different things. Examples of common causes of short-term stress include:
Examples of common causes of long-term stress include:
Ongoing, low-level stress can be hard to notice, but it can also lead to serious health problems. If you feel stressed, try these tips to help you manage your stress. If you need more help managing stress, talk to a doctor, nurse, or mental health professional.
Some of the health effects of stress are the same for men and women. For example, stress can cause trouble sleeping and weaker immune systems. But there are other ways that stress affects women.
PTSD is an illness that some people experience after going through trauma. PTSD can happen to someone who has lived through or witnessed a violent crime or war. It can also happen after a sudden traumatic event like a death of a loved one, physical or sexual abuse, or a severe car crash.
Women are about twice as likely as men to develop PTSD. Some PTSD symptoms also are more common in women than in men. For example, women are more likely to:20
Learn more about the symptoms and treatments for PTSD.
Yes, studies show that women are more likely than men to experience symptoms of stress. Women who are stressed are more likely than men who are stressed to experience depression and anxiety.21 Experts do not fully know the reason for the differences, but it may be related to how men’s and women’s bodies process stress hormones. Long-term stress especially is more likely to cause problems with moods and anxiety in women.22
It is normal to feel stressed during pregnancy. Your body and your hormones are changing, and you may worry about your baby and the changes he or she will bring to your life. But too much stress during pregnancy can hurt you and your baby’s health.
Stress during pregnancy can make normal pregnancy discomforts, like trouble sleeping and body aches, even worse. It can also lead to more serious problems, such as:
Talk to your doctor about your stress, and try these tips to help manage your stress. Learn about how stress affects breastfeeding too.
Everyone has to deal with stress at some point in their lives. You can take steps to help handle stress in a positive way.
For more information about stress and your health, call the OWH Helpline at 1-800-994-9662 or check out the following resources from other organizations:
Enter a city, ZIP code (such as 20002), address, state, or place
Embed this widget on your web site
To receive Mental Health email updates
The Office on Women's Health is grateful for the medical review in 2017 by:
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Danielle Johnson, M.D., FAPA, Psychiatrist, Medical Staff President, Chief of Adult Psychiatry, Director, Women’s Mental Health Program, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati
Cassidy Gutner, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine; National Center for PTSD, Women’s Health Sciences Division, VA Boston Healthcare System, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Mark A. Lumley, Ph.D., Professor and Director of Clinical Psychology Training, Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, and his Stress and Health Laboratory team: Jennifer Carty, Heather Doherty, Hannah Holmes, Nancy Lockhart, and Sheri Pegram
Mark Chavez, Ph.D., Chief, Eating Disorders Research Program, NIMH
Kamryn T. Eddy, Ph.D., and Jennifer J. Thomas, Ph.D., Associate Professors of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Co-Directors of the Eating Disorders Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital
Kendra Becker, M.S., Clinical Fellow in Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital
Michael Kozak, Ph.D., Division of Adult Translational Research and Treatment Development, NIMH
Alicia Kaplan, M.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Temple University School of Medicine and Drexel University College of Medicine, and Staff Psychiatrist, Division of Adult Services, Department of Psychiatry, Allegheny Health Network, Allegheny General Hospital
All material contained on these pages are free of copyright restrictions and may be copied, reproduced, or duplicated without permission of the Office on Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Citation of the source is appreciated.
Page last updated: March 14, 2019.
Stress is a reaction to a change or a challenge. In the short term, stress can be helpful. It makes you more alert and gives you energy to get things done. But long-term stress can lead to serious health problems. Women are more likely than men to report symptoms of stress, including headaches and upset stomach. Women are also more likely to have mental health conditions that are made worse by stress, such as depression or anxiety.1
Stress is how your body reacts to certain situations, such as sudden danger or long-lasting challenge. During stressful events, your body releases chemicals called hormones, such as adrenaline. Adrenaline gives you a burst of energy that helps you cope and respond to stress. For example, one kind of stress is the jolt you may feel when a car pulls out in front of you. This jolt of adrenaline helps you quickly hit the brakes to avoid an accident.
Stress can range from mild and short-term to more extreme and long-lasting. Chronic (long-lasting) stress can affect your mental and physical health.
Stress affects everyone differently. Some ways that chronic or long-term stress affects women include:
People can feel stress from many different things. Examples of common causes of short-term stress include:
Examples of common causes of long-term stress include:
Ongoing, low-level stress can be hard to notice, but it can also lead to serious health problems. If you feel stressed, try these tips to help you manage your stress. If you need more help managing stress, talk to a doctor, nurse, or mental health professional.
Some of the health effects of stress are the same for men and women. For example, stress can cause trouble sleeping and weaker immune systems. But there are other ways that stress affects women.
PTSD is an illness that some people experience after going through trauma. PTSD can happen to someone who has lived through or witnessed a violent crime or war. It can also happen after a sudden traumatic event like a death of a loved one, physical or sexual abuse, or a severe car crash.
Women are about twice as likely as men to develop PTSD. Some PTSD symptoms also are more common in women than in men. For example, women are more likely to:20
Learn more about the symptoms and treatments for PTSD.
Yes, studies show that women are more likely than men to experience symptoms of stress. Women who are stressed are more likely than men who are stressed to experience depression and anxiety.21 Experts do not fully know the reason for the differences, but it may be related to how men’s and women’s bodies process stress hormones. Long-term stress especially is more likely to cause problems with moods and anxiety in women.22
It is normal to feel stressed during pregnancy. Your body and your hormones are changing, and you may worry about your baby and the changes he or she will bring to your life. But too much stress during pregnancy can hurt you and your baby’s health.
Stress during pregnancy can make normal pregnancy discomforts, like trouble sleeping and body aches, even worse. It can also lead to more serious problems, such as:
Talk to your doctor about your stress, and try these tips to help manage your stress. Learn about how stress affects breastfeeding too.
Everyone has to deal with stress at some point in their lives. You can take steps to help handle stress in a positive way.
For more information about stress and your health, call the OWH Helpline at 1-800-994-9662 or check out the following resources from other organizations:
This content is provided by the Office on Women's Health.
A federal government website managed by the Office on Women's Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20201
1-800-994-9662 • Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET (closed on federal holidays).