House Call: Gender plays role in health concerns for women

Women and men have many health concerns in common, but there are a few that are either exclusively female, typically female or experienced differently by women. Menstruation, endometriosis, giving birth, menopause and cervical cancer are all things that can only be experienced by women. Breast cancer is typically female and heart disease symptoms in women can be more subtle and sometimes quite different than those presented by men.

Things such as menstruation and menopause are going to happen pretty much no matter how you live your life, unless you are an elite athlete, in which case your periods may stop during times of extreme training. Every woman will experience the hormonal changes and overall effects of menstruation and menopause differently, but just because they are natural and normal parts of life, that does not mean you just have to put up with symptoms that are uncomfortable and sometimes even debilitating. Some of those debilitating symptoms may be preventing you from important activities for maintaining health such as getting enough sleep or regular exercise.

If you experience heavy periods, you could be more susceptible to anemia and may need to talk to your doctor about adjusting your diet to increase your iron intake. If heavy periods or period pain are so severe that they interfere with or restrict daily activities, do not think it is something you just have to put up with every month.

The same can be said of menopause. You may breeze through it with hardly any symptoms, it may be a nightmare, or it may be something somewhere in between. The most important thing to be aware of is that if you find your life disrupted, treatments are available. There are procedures and medications that can alleviate problems depending on the underlying cause.

Cervical and breast cancer screenings can detect cancer early when it is the most treatable. They can be uncomfortable and a false positive or unclear result that leads to more diagnostic scans or procedures to clarify the situation can be stressful, but they do save lives. Whether you have a family history of either of these cancers or not, be diligent about breast self exams for lumps and screenings as recommended by your physician.

Heart disease may seem an unusual thing to include for the topic of women’s health, but since it is the No. 1 killer of women in the United States, I feel like it is appropriate and even necessary to write about it.

In addition to experiencing the typical symptoms of heart attack such as pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the chest; pain in the stomach that can feel like acid indigestion; breaking out in a cold sweat; and lightheadedness. Women are somewhat more likely to experience other symptoms that are not always associated with heart attack. Do not brush off shortness of breath, back or jaw pain, nausea or vomiting, especially if heart disease runs in your family. Each of these more subtle symptoms may be experienced on its own or in some combination and should be taken seriously.

As always, my best advice is to get enough sleep and maintain a healthy weight through a diet rich in vegetables and fruit and regular exercise. They are the things that affect your overall health that are the most under your control.