7 Health Issues: What Every Woman Should Know

This edition of My Hometown Health is focused on the women’s health services available at Hometown Hospital. We’ve already talked about two of the most pressing health issues for women, breast cancer and autoimmune diseases. In this article, we look at seven more of the most common health issues that impact the lives of women and what steps women can take to make sure they stay healthy!

Heart Disease

Heart disease is the #1 health concern for American women, responsible for about 20 percent of all female deaths in the United States. Although more men die of heart disease then women, females are often under-diagnosed. Women often experience a heart attack or stroke differently than men because their symptoms are often much more subtle and therefore harder to detect. For example, instead of the crushing chest pain associated with heart attacks in men, women may just have a little bit of jaw pain, discomfort in the neck, shoulder and upper back, shortness of breath or nausea. Because these symptoms are less obvious, women may suffer more significant heart damage before they seek medical help.

Take Action: Have your blood pressure checked regularly and talk to your primary health provider or a cardiologist about your risks.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis causes bones to become weak and brittle. Approximately one in two women over age 50 will break a bone because of osteoporosis. Fortunately, it’s never too late to keep your bones strong and avoid fractures. Having enough calcium and Vitamin D in your diet and engaging in bone-bearing exercises, such as lifting light weights, are two of the best ways to prevent osteoporosis.

In addition to being female, other risk factors for osteoporosis include:

  • Growing Older
  • Small Thin-Boned Frame
  • Family History
  • Infrequent Menstrual Cycles and Estrogen Loss due to Menopause
  • Sedentary Lifestyle
  • Smoking
  • Excessive Alcohol Use

Take Action: Have a bone density mineral test at least every one to two years starting at age 65 or even sooner if you are at risk for osteoporosis.

Depression

Depression affects more women than men. About 12 million women experience a depressive episode each year compared to about six million men.

Risk factors for depression include:

  • Hormonal changes, especially after pregnancy or during menopause
  • A previous episode of depression
  • A family history of depression
  • Serious chronic illness
  • Substance abuse
  • A stressful event, such as a job loss or death
  • Childhood history of abuse
  • Taking medicines such as for high blood pressure or seizures that can trigger depression.

Take Action: If you are feeling depressed, talk to your healthcare provider or schedule an appointment with a psychiatrist.

Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer is the most common type of what are called the gynecological cancers (the others are ovarian, uterine, vaginal and vulva). Fortunately, it is also the easiest to detect with a simple Pap test. The main cause of cervical cancer is HPV (Human Papillomavirus). If you are between the ages of 25 and 65, talk to your doctor about when you need to have a Pap test and/or an HPV test. For women older than 65, testing should stop if your previous tests have been normal.

Take Action: Talk to your gynecologist about having a pelvic exam and Pap test.

Lung Diseases

Lung cancer kills more women than any other type of cancer. Although smoking is the number-one cause of lung cancer, 20 percent of women who develop the disease have never smoked a cigarette.

COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is a common lung disease that makes it difficult to breathe. More than seven million American women suffer from COPD. Many more are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with asthma. Symptoms include a cough, mucus production and wheezing.

ALERT: New guidelines have recently been announced for lung cancer screening.  Anyone between the ages of 50 to 80 who has a 20 pack-year smoking history and currently smokes or has quit within the past 15 years should be screened. A “pack-year” is smoking a pack a day for a year. For example, a 20 pack-year smoking history could be someone who smoked a pack a day for 20 years or two packs a day for 20 years. Talk to you healthcare provider to see if you should be screened.

Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-death in the United States. Great progress has been made in recent years in fighting colorectal cancer. Screening tests, such as a colonoscopy, have the ability to remove pre-cancerous growths called polyps, which prevents the cancer from occurring.  Unfortunately, about one in three American adults age 50 to 75 are not up to date with their colorectal screening.

Take Action:Screening for colorectal cancer should start at age 50. Most people should have a colonoscopy every 10 years or a flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years. Talk to your healthcare provider about your risk factors to determine your testing frequency.

Skin Cancer

Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer. Unfortunately, women age 49 and younger have a higher probability of developing melanoma than any other cancer except breast and thyroid cancer.

Take Action:Once a month, perform a self-exam and check for any changes in your skin, especially new or bleeding moles. Contact a dermatologist immediately if you notice any changes.

Sources: Johns Hopkins Medicine, CDC, webmd, Mental Health America, National Osteoporosis Foundation, National Cancer Institute