Background Cardiovascular diseases is one of the biggest public health problems in the world. In Sweden, a myocardial infarction effects both men and women. There is a lack of research on women’s experiences of life after a myocardial infarction. 

Aim The aim of this literature-based study was to describe women’s experiences of life after a myocardial infarction.

Method The literature was searched in the databases Cinahl and PsycInfo. A five-step model for the analysis of ten qualitative articles was performed. The analysis generated three main Categories and seven subcategories.

Results The results in this literature-based study shows that women who have suffered from a myocardial infarction experience anxiety afterwards. The women sought the most support from family and relatives. The results also showed that women who had a positive attitude to make lifestyle changes were more likely to recover compared to those who had a more negative attitude. Overall, women had a positive attitude towards rehabilitation after a myocardial infarction.

Conclusion Nurses need to have in-depth knowledge about women´s experiences suffered from a myocardial infarction to be able to understand and support women on a caring nursing level. A holistic approach by means that the whole person is taking account beyond the disease contributes to a person- centered care. This approach of nurses supports individually tailored care based on the woman’s unique situation.