Women's Health Problems And Solutions 2021
While both men and women suffer from a variety of conditions, some health problems affect women differently and more commonly. [1] In addition, many women's health conditions go undiagnosed and most drug trials do not include female test subjects. Still, women have unique health problems, such as breast cancer, cervical cancer, menopause, and pregnancy. Women suffer more deaths from heart attacks compared to men. Depression and anxiety are more common among patients. Urinary tract conditions occur more often in women, and sexually transmitted diseases can cause more harm to women. Among the conditions that occur most frequently in women, the following eight diseases pose significant health risks.
Heart disease
In the United States, heart disease causes one in four deaths among women. [2] Although heart disease is considered a common problem among men by the public, the condition affects men and women almost equally. However, only 54 percent of women realize that heart disease is the main health condition that threatens their gender. In the United States, 49 percent of all consumers suffer from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or smoke; factors that contribute to heart disease.
Breast cancer
Breast cancer, which normally originates from the lining of the milk ducts, can spread to other organs and is the most aggressive cancer affecting the world's female population. [3] The condition occurs more among female populations in developed countries due to their longer life expectancy.
Initially, women with breast cancer may develop breast lumps. Most breast lumps are not a threat, but it is important to have them checked by a healthcare provider.
Ovarian and cervical cancer
Many people are unaware of the differences between cervical and ovarian cancer. [4] Cervical cancer begins in the lower part of the uterus, while ovarian cancer begins in the fallopian tubes. While both conditions cause similar pain, cervical cancer also causes discharge and pain during intercourse.
While ovarian cancer has extremely vague symptoms, the condition is very complex. Lastly, Pap tests detect cervical cancer, but not ovarian cancer.
Gynecological Health
Bleeding and discharge are a normal part of the menstrual cycle. [5] However, additional symptoms during menstruation can indicate health problems, and unusual symptoms, such as bleeding between periods and frequent urination, can mimic other health problems.
Vaginal problems can also indicate serious problems, such as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or cancer of the reproductive tract. While health care providers can treat mild infections easily, if left unchecked, they can lead to conditions such as infertility or kidney failure.
Pregnancy problems
Pre-existing conditions can get worse during pregnancy and threaten the health of the mother and her child. [6] Asthma, diabetes, and depression can harm a mother and child during pregnancy if not treated properly.
Pregnancy can cause a healthy mother's red blood cell count to drop, a condition called anemia, or induce depression. Another problem arises when a reproductive cell implants outside the uterus, rendering a subsequent pregnancy unviable. Fortunately, obstetricians can manage and treat common and rare health problems that arise during pregnancies.
Autoimmune diseases
Autoimmune disease occurs when cells in the body that eliminate threats, such as viruses, attack healthy cells. [7] As this condition continues to increase in the population, researchers remain puzzled as to why the condition primarily affects women. While there are many different autoimmune diseases, most share symptoms such as:
● Exhaustion
● Mild fever
● pain
● Skin irritation
● Vertigo
Most of the autoimmune system rests on the stomach. Rightly, many of those with this condition have turned to natural healing practices, such as:
● Eat less sugar
● Eat less fat
● Reduce stress
● Reduce the intake of toxins
However, the best defense against autoimmune diseases is early detection.
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis weakens bones, allowing them to break easily. [8] Several factors can cause the condition, which occurs mainly in women, including:
● age
● Alcohol consumption
● Certain recipes
● Genetics
● Lack of exercise
● Low body mass
● smoking
● steroid use
To detect the condition, doctors measure bone density using an x-ray or ultrasound diagnosis. While there is no cure for osteoporosis, doctors can prescribe treatment to prevent the progression of the disease, which may include dietary supplements, healthy lifestyle choices, or prescription drugs.
Depression and anxiety
Natural hormonal fluctuations can lead to depression or anxiety. [9] Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) occurs commonly among women, while premenstrual dysmorphic disorder (PMDD) has similar but highly intensified symptoms. Soon after birth, many mothers develop a form of depression called “postpartum depression,” but perinatal depression causes similar but much stronger worries, emotional swings, sadness, and tiredness. Perimenopause, the transition to menopause, can also cause depression. No matter how severe the symptoms are, doctors can provide relief with a prescription or therapeutic treatments.
Women's Health Technology
Soon, new technologies will emerge to help care providers treat women's health conditions. [10] Researchers have developed innovative medical treatments, such as a patient-operated device that prepares women for breast reconstruction using carbon dioxide instead of needles, and a blood test that can detect whether the pregnancy has started outside of fallopian tubes. Other medical technologies in development include a home Pap smear and a test that determines pregnancy using saliva as a sample.
Women can reduce their risk of cancer and other common diseases with healthy habits and regular visits to the care provider. [11] However, in many underserved communities, nurse practitioners (NP) and nurse midwives fill the shortage created by a lack of care providers, while covering service areas that span too many clients. As America's healthcare needs increase, caregiver organizations will need many more NPs to ensure positive health outcomes for women in these communities.
Learn more
Providing medical services requires skill. Serving more than half of the US population requires specialized experience. That's where the online Master of Science in Nursing makes its mark with a focus on women's health nursing practice. With Regis online WHNP MSN, you can learn to address the specialized health needs of women throughout their life cycle.
Information on women's health
We have a wealth of information gathered over the years of providing women's health services and running self-help groups with women in the US and around the world. On our website, we made this information available and also included parts of the unpublished manuscript: Women's Health in the Hands of Women. This definitive book on women's health was female-controlled research and collective writing effort of the Federation of Feminist Women's Health Centers in the 1980s. Parts of this manuscript were published as A New Vision of the Body of a woman and How to stay out of the gynecologist's office.
Common problems
Practical information on health problems we commonly experience but know little about. Learn about vaginal infections, bladder infections, endometriosis, and herpes. This section also includes self-help home remedies that you can use to prevent and treat common health problems without medical intervention.
- Bacterial vaginosis
- Contraceptive methods
- Prevention of bladder infections
- Breast health
- Birth control and cancer pills
- Endometriosis
- Fibroids
- HPV vaccines
- HPV and abnormal Pap tests
- Health insurance reform
- Herpes
- Home remedies
- Menopause
- Pelvic inflammatory disease
- Signs of pregnancy
- Recommended books
- Sexually transmitted infections
- Urinary tract infections
- Yeast
Bacterial vaginosis
Can it be transmitted sexually?
Symptoms
Home remedies
Maintain vaginal health
western medicine
Birth control
- How a method works and how to use it
- If a method is physically safe for your health;
- How effective is the method to prevent pregnancy?
- Whether a method protects her and her partner from contracting a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
Prevention of bladder infections.
Breast health
Regular self-exam of your breasts will help you know how your body feels. Knowing YOUR normalcy helps you know if your normalcy changes. Make an appointment with women's health specialists for an initial clinical breast exam and get reassurance from your doctor about how your breasts are supposed to feel.
Breast exams
For women under 40, we offer an annual clinical breast exam and risk assessment with a WHS physician. The doctor discusses her concerns, risks, and screening options with the woman. The doctor and the woman will design a screening plan that the client is comfortable with. The client's screening plan will also reflect what is in her medical interest according to the ACOG (American Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology) recommendations. If a medical indication is found, we refer our clients for a mammogram.
For women over 40, we offer an annual clinical breast exam and annual screening mammograms. At WHS, women are not denied screenings or mammograms based on new recommendations from the 2010 US Prevention Task Force. Task Force recommends routine mammography exams begin at age 50, followed every two years. We provide information on the changes to the recommendations for our clients and help them assess the risks and benefits of mammography.
Breast implants
In July 2005, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared silicone breast implants approved. In December 2006, the FDA approved silicone breast implants, after a 15-year ban, despite no changes to the device. See the National Women's Health Network fact sheet for more information.
Hormonal therapy
On October 21, 2010, the National Women's Health Network reported that long-term use of HT for menopause doubles the risk of dying from breast cancer. In other words, women who already have breast cancer and are taking hormone therapy are more likely to have aggressive cancer, compared to women who are not taking hormone therapy.
Less Hormone Therapy, Less Breast Cancer from the Women's Health Activist Newsletter, by Adriane Fugh-Berman, M.D., a great article on the decline in breast cancer after women stopped taking menopausal hormones.
Self-Exam How-To
Free care for women over 40
Payment: In the state of California there are different payment methods available to women who are uninsured or underinsured. Call the Women's Health Specialists at 800.714.8151 to verify funding guidelines for care under those programs.
Mammography
Another controversial area surrounding breast health is mammography, digital mammography, ultrasound, and other breast cancer screenings. Mammography uses a type of radiation to detect lumps in the breasts. Digital mammography compresses the image digitally so that the results can be read on a computer. This technique has been approved by the FDA but is controversial due to false-positive results, which lead to unnecessary biopsies. Read the Breast Cancer Action fact sheet on these screening tests for more information.
Breast Cancer Action has also made a fact sheet available on its website called "Breast Cancer Action Statement and Policy Recommendations - Breast Cancer Screening and Early Detection. You can upload or read it on your website.
Who talks about breast health?
Perhaps the most controversial areas of women's health related to our breasts, especially breast cancer. There is certainly a high risk of breast cancer for women in the US However, much of the information about breast cancer and treatments is generated by pharmaceutical companies that produce carcinogenic chemicals that are used in our environment, as well as drugs for treatment. Of cancer. As a result, the medical profession and pharmaceutical companies often ignore important factors such as the environment and the role of cancer-causing drugs. Women's health activists should remain skeptical of their role in providing women with good information about breast health.
Resources for unbiased information on breast health
National Women's Health Network: The National Women's Health Network is an independent "watchdog" organization that provides reviews and research on medications on the breast and many other women's health problems. They regularly testify to the FDA that it has influenced the way drugs that affect women are approved. This group is doing a job you can trust. They have lots of fact sheets on breast cancer, prevention, breast implants, etc. While you can get your information on their website, consider joining this membership organization.- Dr. Susan Love:
- Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book
- Dr. Susan Love website
Breast Cancer Action - This is an active and dynamic organization doing extensive work around all breast cancer issues. The information on this site will open your eyes and provide you with concrete and useful information about breast cancer and its prevention. It also provides very useful information for women diagnosed with breast cancer. Check out the FAQ on this site if nothing else. As you get the BCA information from your website, consider joining this valuable membership organization.
Birth control and cancer pillsAn article in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet, November 10, 2007, vol. 370: pp. 1609-21, reports on a reexamination of cervical cancer data from 24 previous world studies. These studies were done to look at birth control pill use and cervical cancer. The study investigators considered it important to re-evaluate these data, as "the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified combined oral contraceptives as carcinogenic to humans based on an increased risk of cervical cancer. ". (The Lancet, p. 1609)
The 24 studies contained information from 26 countries around the world and included 16,573 women with cervical cancer and 35,509 women without cervical cancer.
The data confirm that:1. Current and recent use of combined oral contraceptives is associated with an increased risk of invasive cervical cancer;
2. The risk of current users of birth control pills increases with the time of use;
3. Using birth control pills for 5 years or more doubles the risk of cervical cancer;
4. The increased risk of cervical cancer associated with the use of birth control pills decreases with time since the last use;
5. At 10 years or more since the last use of birth control pills, the risk of cervical cancer is similar to that of women who have never used birth control pills; and
6. There is a small increased risk of cervical cancer for women who use progesterone-only injectable contraceptives for 5 years or more. (The Lancet, p. 1616)
To summarize the above findings, studies showed that using birth control pills for 10 years, when a woman is in her 20s to 30s, increases the risk of cervical cancer at age 50 by 3.8 per 1,000 women to 4.5 per 1000 women. In less developed countries, the risk went from 7.3 to 8.3 per 1000 women. (The Lancet, p. 1609)
Women have been concerned about the link between breast cancer and hormonal intake. In April 2007, NPR covered a story about a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
The study showed that a decrease in the use of hormones by women has led to a decrease in cases of breast cancer. Read more...
For more information on breast cancer and hormones, visit our breast health web page.
- Dr. Susan Love:
- Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book
- Dr. Susan Love website
Sexually Transmitted Infections
To try on
Get tested for many sexually transmitted infections (STIs) at Women's Health Specialists. You can bring a partner (s) or come alone.
Types of STISTIs can be considered as:
Parasites (curable): pubic lice, Trichomonas
Bacterial (curable): gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, pelvic inflammatory disease
Viral (not curable, but treatable): hepatitis, herpes, HIV, AIDS, human papillomavirus (HPV), including strains that can cause genital warts or cervical changes.
- Additional Resources
- Avoiding HIV and AIDS
- Positive Sexuality Center
- Society for Human Sexuality
- The Body: The Complete Resource on HIV / AIDS
- Additional Resources
- Avoiding HIV and AIDS
- Positive Sexuality Center
- Society for Human Sexuality
- The Body: The Complete Resource on HIV / AIDS
Most common STI infections
The most common infections that can be transmitted through sexual activity are chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomonas, HIV / AIDS. Yeast and bacteria can be transmitted sexually, but women can commonly contact them for other reasons (ie, taking antibiotics, birth control pills). HIV and Hepatitis B can be transmitted through sexual activity or sharing needles for intravenous drug use.
Test your knowledge
- True or false: a person of any gender can transmit a sexually transmitted infection to a person of any gender.
- True or false: Condoms and dental dams are HIGHLY effective ways to prevent the transmission of many sexually transmitted infections.
- True or false: Many sexually transmitted infections have no symptoms and people may not know their status.
- True or false: If you are having anal, vaginal, or oral sex, the only way to know if you have been exposed to an STI is to get tested.
- True or false: Most people will contract a sexually transmitted infection in their lifetime.
- True or false: a person of any gender can transmit a sexually transmitted infection to a person of any gender.
- True or false: Condoms and dental dams are HIGHLY effective ways to prevent the transmission of many sexually transmitted infections.
- True or false: Many sexually transmitted infections have no symptoms and people may not know their status.
- True or false: If you are having anal, vaginal, or oral sex, the only way to know if you have been exposed to an STI is to get tested.
- True or false: Most people will contract a sexually transmitted infection in their lifetime.
What is yeast?
Yeast is a normal and always present fungus in the mouth, large intestine, vagina, and skin. A yeast "infection" is actually a yeast overgrowth in the vagina. Yeast infections can't hurt you, but they can be extremely uncomfortable.
Is it sexually transmitted?
It is possible for yeast infections to be spread by sexual activity, however, that is not always the case. When you go to a women's health specialist, discuss this with her doctor. You can decide if your partner should receive treatment. Read the information on sexually transmitted infections and safer sex to learn more about safer sexual practices.
Symptoms:
A yeast infection usually causes:
- severe itching inside the vagina or on the vulva (the external genitalia).
- The vagina can become red and dry.
- Vaginal discharge is usually heavy, thick, with a curdled white consistency like cottage cheese.
- The smell is not foul, but it smells like bread yeast.
- severe itching inside the vagina or on the vulva (the external genitalia).
- The vagina can become red and dry.
- Vaginal discharge is usually heavy, thick, with a curdled white consistency like cottage cheese.
- The smell is not foul, but it smells like bread yeast.
Home remedies
- The best-known self-help remedy for yeast is plain yogurt that is inserted into the vagina. There are many ways to insert yogurt into the vagina. Using a speculum to separate the walls of the vagina and pouring yogurt into the vagina works. If you have a plastic insert that you have used for other medications or spermicidal cream, use it to put yogurt in your vagina.
- Douching (putting liquid in the vagina) with yogurt diluted in water can be very beneficial in treating yeast infections.
- The following home remedies are from Chris Nelson:
- Drink, shower, and bathe with oat straw tea for a month.
- Apply a poultice of natural cottage cheese or farmhouse cheese to a sanitary napkin (or mini pad). Change it several times a day. This will stop the itching and help clear the infection. Use it until symptoms do not return in 12 hours. Cottage cheese contains lactobacillus, the normal bacteria found in the vagina. Don't use cottage cheese from the supermarket, just the health food store type.
- Apply yogurt or an acidophilus culture applicator before bed for 3 to 5 days. Alternatively, you can use acidophilus capsules inserted as a suppository. Use only homemade or healthy food store yogurt.
- Paint the vagina with a 1-2% aqueous solution of gentian violet. Do this twice. Gentian violet will dye everything purple.
- Shower once a day for 5 days with 1 tablespoon of potassium sorbate dissolved in 1 liter of warm water. Potassium Sorbate is an over-the-counter product. It is used to stop the fermentation of yeast in the winemaking process. Check with local pharmacies or wine stores.
- Take a bath once a day with 1 tablespoon of vinegar in a liter of water. Use it along with the yogurt. Yogurt and diluted vinegar (white vinegar) can be applied externally to help with swollen and itchy lips.
- The best-known self-help remedy for yeast is plain yogurt that is inserted into the vagina. There are many ways to insert yogurt into the vagina. Using a speculum to separate the walls of the vagina and pouring yogurt into the vagina works. If you have a plastic insert that you have used for other medications or spermicidal cream, use it to put yogurt in your vagina.
- Douching (putting liquid in the vagina) with yogurt diluted in water can be very beneficial in treating yeast infections.
- The following home remedies are from Chris Nelson:
- Drink, shower, and bathe with oat straw tea for a month.
- Apply a poultice of natural cottage cheese or farmhouse cheese to a sanitary napkin (or mini pad). Change it several times a day. This will stop the itching and help clear the infection. Use it until symptoms do not return in 12 hours. Cottage cheese contains lactobacillus, the normal bacteria found in the vagina. Don't use cottage cheese from the supermarket, just the health food store type.
- Apply yogurt or an acidophilus culture applicator before bed for 3 to 5 days. Alternatively, you can use acidophilus capsules inserted as a suppository. Use only homemade or healthy food store yogurt.
- Paint the vagina with a 1-2% aqueous solution of gentian violet. Do this twice. Gentian violet will dye everything purple.
- Shower once a day for 5 days with 1 tablespoon of potassium sorbate dissolved in 1 liter of warm water. Potassium Sorbate is an over-the-counter product. It is used to stop the fermentation of yeast in the winemaking process. Check with local pharmacies or wine stores.
- Take a bath once a day with 1 tablespoon of vinegar in a liter of water. Use it along with the yogurt. Yogurt and diluted vinegar (white vinegar) can be applied externally to help with swollen and itchy lips.
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