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Women deserve excellent health because they play a critical role in families, communities, and society. They may be homemakers or working women. In every role they play, they contribute in great measure in encouraging and promoting the good health of everyone around them.
When women pay attention to their health and well-being, they can better care for themselves and their dependent family members, while also pursuing their goals and aspirations.
Women must take ownership of their health and prioritize self-care, including engaging in healthy habits, seeking medical care when needed, and addressing mental and emotional health concerns. This improves their quality of life and helps them actualize their full potential.
We acknowledge and applaud the growing universal awareness that women need special care on health matters … so our article here aims to help women know more about handling and overcoming the health problems that may challenge them.
By prioritizing their health, women can serve as role models and advocates for the health and well-being of their families and communities. They can leverage their power when they show others, by example, how vital self-care is.
In putting this list together, we researched several reputed medical sources to see which health concerns of women get oft-repeated as the most serious ones.
Health problems appear to change priority over time. So, our list below has been culled by looking at currently significant concerns in different women’s health areas.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women worldwide, and risk factors include chronic illnesses such as obesity, cholesterol, diabetes, and hypertension. When these ailments combine with other hereditary factors, they can all have a multiplicative effect on the heart.
Apart from maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and eating a balanced diet low in saturated and trans fats, regular medical check-ups are essential.
If problems surface, your doctor needs to ascertain the causes of blood pressure, detect early symptoms of diabetes, suggest ways to reduce high cholesterol, and give you a thorough obesity diagnosis.
Women are more prone to depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems – and face unique stressors such as work-life balance, caretaking responsibilities, and social inequalities.
According to Cleveland Clinic, “If functioning at high stress levels, women may not even recognize what their health needs are.”
Self-care practices should include building a support system of trusted friends, family members, therapists, or counselors can be of great help during challenging times.
This includes pregnancy, childbirth, contraception, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and menopause-related symptoms.
According to CDC, “A woman’s reproductive system is a delicate and complex system in the body.” To maintain good reproductive and sexual health, women should prioritize regular check-ups with their healthcare provider – including pelvic exams, if their gynecologists recommend these.
Pregnant women should attend regular prenatal care appointments. Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy. It is characterized by high blood sugar levels in pregnant women who did not have diabetes before becoming pregnant. High blood sugar levels can cause problems for both the mother and the baby. It’s important to manage gestational diabetes to prevent complications.
Menopause is also a significant aspect of women’s reproductive health. As estrogen levels decline during menopause, women become more susceptible to developing cardiovascular disease. Lower estrogen levels may also reduce bone density and strength. Managing symptoms may sometimes require medical intervention.
According to the American Cancer Society, “Cancers that most often affect women are breast, colorectal, endometrial, lung, cervical, skin, and ovarian cancers.”
Regular cancer screenings can help detect cancer early when it is more treatable. Women with a family history of cancer may need additional screening or prevention measures.
Maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle, and avoiding tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption, can also reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer.
According to Fariha Angum et al., in their medical paper in Cureus, women are more likely to develop autoimmune disorders such as lupus, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Those with a family history of autoimmune disorders may be at higher risk of sudden flare-ups and should discuss this with their healthcare providers.
Treatment options may include medication, lifestyle changes, and other palliative therapies.
According to the Office of Women’s Health of the US Government, women are at higher risk for osteoporosis, a condition in which bones become weak and brittle, increasing the risk of fractures.
Prioritizing bone health to prevent the development of osteoporosis may include consuming a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D, engaging in regular weight-bearing exercise, plus medication to support bone health.
Routine bone density screenings can help detect osteoporosis in its early stages and allow for early medical intervention.
Women are more likely than men to develop eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia. According to Honor Whiteman, writing in Medical News Today and quoting the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), around 30 million people in the United States have some form of an eating disorder. About 20 million of these are women.
“Body dissatisfaction” is believed to be an important factor underlying the higher rates of eating disorders in women. Unrealistic beauty standards projected in the media, and underlying psychological issues, such as anxiety or depression, may make women fall prey to such disordered eating behaviors.
But there is help. Treatment often involves a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy, medical monitoring, and nutritional counseling.
Women often aren’t as aware as they should be about accessing all the facilities available to them – such as medical insurance, childcare help, or in-home nursing for injury support.
Women with less awareness and access to healthcare-support facilities tend to neglect many diseases until it may be too late. Being savvy about all the available resources can help with both the cost and timeliness of healthcare.
For instance, awareness of health insurance options would make women readier to seek medical advice for several vital ailments much earlier.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confirms that women may be at greater risk than men in some areas of health affected by the environment.
Women may be more vulnerable to environmental exposures due to their physiology, such as through the accumulation of certain chemicals in breast milk or higher absorption rates of certain toxins.
Women’s reproductive and maternal health may be affected by environmental exposures, such as exposure to harmful airborne pollutants that can impact fertility or pregnancy outcomes.
Women have longer life expectancies than men and may face age-related health challenges such as dementia, vision and hearing loss, and chronic conditions. According to Alzheimer’s Association, “Almost two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer’s are women.” Statistics are not too different globally.
Physical aging often gets its due care, but mental health during aging is also important. Families and friends of aging women who live alone can help them by enabling them to have safer home environments, stress reduction, and social connections.
Women’s hearts are not only the seat of their physical health but also the center of their emotions. Just as it is essential to care for the health of the physical heart, addressing emotional issues can also be necessary for heart health, as stress and negative emotions can contribute to heart disease risk. Stay heart-healthy. Be a Zinda Dil.
