10 Most Common Women’s Health Issues and Their Prevention

Everyone has their own health problems but there are also so many women’s health issues which require special consideration.

Women are the one who is key to maintaining healthy families, giving birth to their young ones and so on.

But the major problem is that the most of the women never paid attention towards their health problems or feel embarrassed to discuss with anyone. It also includes the reproductive system disorders that can be lead to serious women’s health issues or chronic disorders if neglected over a long duration.

Let’s take a look at some of the most common women’s health issues and their prevention:

Common women’s health issues

Let’s start with one of the most common health issue of women…

1. Reproductive System Disorders

Sexual and reproductive health problems are responsible for one-third of women’s health issues. Menstruation is the largest component of reproductive system disorder. This is the process of shedding of the uterine lining.

Here are some basic menstrual related terms which are the cause of reproductive system disorder:

• Polymenorrhagia: It takes place earlier than 20 days, includes frequent menstruation and excessive bleeding,
• Menorrhagia: increased bleeding lasting for more than 7 days, and more than 80ml blood loss.
• Menometrorrhagia: irregularly, frequent and excessive bleeding in women.
• Oligomenorrhea: Infrequent menstrual periods.

1. Dysmenorrhoea

It is defined as the pain and discomfort experienced during menstruation. It is the most common women’s health issue which is experienced in the form of abdominal cramps. This is caused by certain reproductive system disorders, such as fibroids or endometriosis.

Prevention:

• Adapting healthy lifestyle with a healthy diet consisting of food rich in fiber, nutrients, and low-fat protein.
• Avoiding fatty, sugary food, caffeine and smoking and drinking an alcoholic beverage.
• Treatments- NSAIDs such as paracetamol, aspirin etc.

2. Discomfort During Menopause

The hormonal imbalance in women may cause various physical and emotional symptoms during menopause. They experience hot flashes, mood swings, night sweats, and a change in sex drive. This occurs because your body naturally makes less estrogen. It can lead to influence the health of the ovary, like cancer or certain lifestyle choices, smoking, that may also tend to increase the severity and duration of symptoms.

Prevention

• cutting back on caffeine and alcohol,
• Dietary supplements like black cohosh or soy,
• Better balance hormones with treatments like Exuberan®- a bio-identical hormone replacement therapy.

3. Anemia

It comes in the category of most common women’s health issues with losing much blood in their times each month. It means that your body does not have enough iron to help carry the oxygen through your blood to all parts of your body. Women usually suffer from heart palpitations, look pale and shortness of breath.

Preventions

• iron supplements and a proper healthy diet of iron,
• Antihelminthic treatment,
• limiting alcohol use,
• Treatments- vitamin supplements, Epoetin alfa (Procrit or Epogen) as medications,

4. Abnormal Vaginal Discharge

 Vaginal discharge or pearly white discharge is perfectly normal. But abnormal vaginal discharge is likely to be accompanied by burning or itching or both and may have a strong odor. It occurs during the period of ovulation and prior to having menses is quite normal. It is the condition of unbalanced overgrowth of normal vaginal bacteria.

Preventions

• Consult your doctor or physician if the discharge is greenish or yellow colored and smelly.
• Avoid wearing tight pants, pantyhose, swimming suits,
• Rule out anemia, diabetes, and other sexually related diseases.
• Avoid feminine hygiene sprays, deodorant pads, and colored or perfumed toilet paper.

5. Urinary Infections

It is advisable to importantly maintain proper menstrual hygiene to eliminate related reproductive system disorders. The bladder controlled can weaken for a variety of reasons including changes that occur during childbirth and menopause. That can cause the urinary infection.

Frequent urination, burning sensation, fever, chills, and itching are the presenting symptoms of urinary infection.

Prevention

• Avoiding tight clothing and bubble baths  to ensure personal hygiene,
• Drink plenty of fluids (two to three liters per day),
• Treatments- Antimicrobial therapy and low-dose antibiotics.

6. Breast cancer

Certain cancers are the specific concern to women’s health issues. Breast cancer is the second foremost cause of cancer. It may include a lump in the breast, thick or firm tissue in or near your breast, discharge from the nipple or pain in the breast area, dimpling of the skin and a change in breast shape. The cancerous cells may also form a tumor. You can read early symptoms of breast cancer and know more about it.

Prevention

• Eat healthy food such as lean protein, whole grains, and vegetable oil,
• Control your weight,
• Breast massage.
• Get regular breast cancer screenings.

7. Gynecologic Cancer

All women are at risk for gynecologic cancers, with the increase in age. It rises in different places within a woman’s pelvis, the area below the stomach and in between the hip bones. The five main types of cancer which affect a woman’s reproductive organs are cervical, vaginal, vulvar, ovarian, and uterine.

Prevention

• Screening tests,
• HPV vaccine acts against the HPV that most often cause cervical, vaginal, and vulvar cancers.

8. Sexual Violence (SV)

Women can experience different forms of violence, physical and sexual violence – either by a partner or someone else. SV refers to sexual activity.  It involves rape, as the physical violence or coerced penetration of the anus or vulva with a penis, or an object.

One in three, or 35%, of women, have experienced physical and or sexual violence. Such violence can lead to having fatal outcomes like homicide or suicide.

Prevention

• Stopping it from happening in the first place,
• Promote Social Norms that Protect Against Violence,
• Teach Skills and create protective environments to prevent SV.

9. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

It is a condition that affects a woman’s hormone levels in which women produce higher-than-normal amounts of male hormones. The hormonal imbalance may also let them skip menstrual periods and makes it harder for them to get pregnant. It may cause infertility, pelvic pain, excess hair growth on the face, chest, stomach, thumbs, and form acne.

You can check our detail post on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): Symptoms, Cause, and Treatment

Prevention

• Weight under control,
• A healthy lifestyle, regular exercise and a check on food intake,
• Treatments- fertility drugs, hair removal medications, surgery.

10. Other Women’s Health Issues

According to research, there are certain types of diseases or disorders which may affect the women’s health. It includes- depression, osteoporosis, autoimmune disease, heart diseases melanoma and type-2 diabetes. Which can be prevented by the different mechanisms by taking the right step to treat.

Hope you know few common health issues of women..If you are suffering from any problem which you observer as common then please share us in comment with us.. so we can share the same with our read.