Women’s Health – Top 5 Reasons to Pay More Attention to Your Health

Women are taking an increasingly pivotal role in modern society. As such, women’s health is of primary importance in maintaining a healthy society. For women to take a more proactive role in their own healthcare, they should be aware of issues confounding women’s health.

The following are top five women’s health issues all modern women should be aware of:

1. Heart disease kills more and more women every year. A lot of women, and men for that matter, think that breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women. However, studies on women’s health show that women are six times more likely to die from heart disease than from breast cancer. What makes women’s heart health problems even more perplexing is that women have been found to manifest symptoms different from what is generally ascribed for heart problems. Many women for example do not feel the crushing chest pain typical of heart attacks but may instead feel only discomfort in the abdomen, neck, and shoulders. Women should, therefore, be more conscious about the risk factors to women’s heart health problems such as obesity, hypertension and diabetes

2. Women suffer from asthma more than men. Women’s health studies in the United States show that two-thirds of asthma sufferers are women. Although there are no conclusive medical findings as to why women are more vulnerable to asthma attacks, there are theories that this may have something to do with females having generally smaller airways than males.

3. Women appear to be more susceptible to musculoskeletal disorders. Recent women’s health studies among office workers indicate that more women suffer from work-related tendonitis and carpal-tunnel syndrome than men. Further research is being done but it is generally believed that is caused by differences in body structure. It is important to get regular exercise breaks and to use ergonomic furniture that aid good posture and prevent strain.

4. Women suffer from depression thrice that of a man. Studies devoted to women’s health indicate that this is related to the fact that female brains produce less serotonin – the hormone that promotes good sleep and improves mood. It could also be due to the fact that, despite gender sensitive policies, many women still suffer from unfair treatment in homes and workplaces. Women should take care of their mental health by spending time on things that they love to do and allowing time for rest and recreation.

5. Women are two times more likely to get sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) than men. Researches into women’s sexual health indicate that women are biologically more susceptible to STD. In fact, one out of four women get genital herpes compared to only one in eight men. A woman’s chances of getting gonorrhea from an infected partner are 90% while the risk is considerably lower for men at only 30%.

Men and women are biologically different so a woman’s health issues are unique. What is important is for a woman to take charge of her own welfare and be assertive about what is right and healthy for her.