Women's Health
Women have many unique health concerns — menstrual cycles, pregnancy, birth control, menopause — and that's just the beginning. A number of health issues affect only women and others are more common in women. What's more, men and women may have the same condition, but different symptoms. Many diseases affect women differently and may even require distinct treatment.
We tend to think of breast cancer and osteoporosis as women's health diseases, but they also occur in men. Heart disease in a serious concern to both men and women, but risk factors and approaches to prevention are different. Women may also have specific concerns about aging, caregiving, emotional health issues, and skin care.
Women's Health Articles
For years, many doctors thought that heart attacks that weren’t caused by a major blockage were less serious than those that were. New research shows, however, that people who have this type of heart attack—known as a myocardial infarction with nonobstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA)—are at higher risk for future cardiovascular events, and doctors should treat the condition aggressively.
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Women who deliver a baby before the 37th week of pregnancy and experience rising blood pressure in the years that follow are more likely to develop signs of coronary artery disease, raising their risk of heart attack and stroke. Preterm delivery should be considered a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
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Researchers linked consumption of certain foods to age at menopause. They found that women who consumed more oily fish and legumes went through menopause later, while those who ate more refined pasta and rice began the change earlier. Regardless of any potential effect on age at menopause, adopting a healthful diet is always a good idea.
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Weight carried around the middle may signal a greater risk for heart attack in women than in men with belly fat. Strategies to prevent weight gain can help reduce this risk. Monitoring waist-to-hip ratio can help indicate a potential problem. Whittling the waist requires reducing calories and increasing physical activity.
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Different women experience different types of vaginal discharge. There is a wide range of “normal.” However, some symptoms like postmenopausal bleeding do warrant a closer look from the doctor.
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Unexplained pelvic plain is common in women of all ages and is sometimes related to problems with the muscles in the pelvic floor, a condition called myofascial pain. Tight pelvic floor muscles can cause chronic pain, and pelvic physical therapy is a potential treatment that may help to relieve this pain.
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Doctors sometimes misread heart attack symptoms in women as not heart-related.
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Women who had gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia during pregnancy have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease later in life. As a result, they should take prevention seriously and be aggressive about lifestyle interventions.
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Women treated for breast cancer may face a heightened risk of heart disease from the effects of chemotherapy and radiation. But physicians known as cardio-oncologists can offer strategies to both prevent and treat heart damage from cancer therapy. These include echocardiograms before and after treatment to monitor any possible abnormalities, as well as changes to medications such as statins and blood pressure drugs. Physical activity may also decrease the risk of heart injuries related to breast cancer treatment.
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The odds of experiencing symptoms of depression go up as women reach perimenopause and early postmenopause. Hormone therapy has been shown to help ward off these symptoms. But experts say despite the findings, hormone therapy should be used for prevention only in limited circumstances, because the treatment brings its own risks.
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