I Am A Woman - Women's Health

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  Pregnancy Testing is among the first steps when trying to get pregnant.

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Women’s health covers a wide spectrum. There are many health conditions which affect both men and women, though a number of health issues are more prevalent and affect only women. In addition, a number of medical conditions may cause different symptoms in women, affect women differently than men, and may require different treatment or prevention protocols.

Besides conditions such as menopause, ovarian and cervical cancer, and pregnancy, which are unique to women, other medical conditions play a large role in women’s health. Breast cancer and osteoporosis are thought of as women’s health concerns, although they also occur in men. Heart disease in a serious concern to both men and women, but risk factors and preventive strategies may differ in women, and women may experience different symptoms of an impending heart attack than men. Women may have greater concerns over aging, caregiving, emotional health issues, and skin care.

Heart Disease
The American Heart Association lists risk factors for heart disease as:

• Increasing age
• Male sex
• Heredity (including race). People with family history of the disease have greater risk. So do African Americans, Mexican Americans, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, and some Asian Americans.
• Smoking
• High blood cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Physical inactivity
• Obesity and overweight
• Diabetes

Breast Cancer
The American Cancer Society lists the following as risk factors for breast cancer:

• Female sex
• Increasing age
• Genes. Nearly 5% to 10% of breast cancer is linked to mutations in certain genes (most commonly, the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes).
• Family history of the disease
• Personal history of the disease
• Race. White women have a slightly greater risk of getting breast cancer compared with African-American women. Yet African-Americans have a greater chance of dying from this disease.
• Earlier abnormal breast biopsy
• Earlier breast radiation
• Early onset of menstruation (before age 12) or menopause after age 55
• Not having children
• Medication use, such as diethylstilbestrol (DES)
• Too much alcohol
• Poor diet
• Obesity

Osteoporosis
Risk factors for osteoporosis include:

• Female sex
• Increasing age
• Small, thin-boned frame
• Ethnicity. White and Asian women have the greatest risk.
• Family history
• Sex hormones. Infrequent menstrual cycles and estrogen loss due to menopause may increase risk.
• Anorexia
• Diet low in calcium and vitamin D
• Medication use, particularly glucocorticoids or some anticonvulsants
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Smoking
• Excessive alcohol

Depression
Other risk factors for depression include:

• Hormonal (eg after pregnancy)
• A previous depressive episode
• Family history of depression
• History of heart problems
• Serious chronic illness
• Marital problems
• Substance abuse
  
  • Use of drugs that could trigger depression, such as medicines for high blood pressure or seizures
• A stressful life event, such as job loss or death
• Diseases that could trigger depression, such as anemia and thyroid disease
• Recent serious illness or surgery
• Childhood history of physical or sexual abuse
• Being a worrier or being overly anxious
• Having an eating disorder or an anxiety disorder