Women’s health and diseases differ from those of men due to their biological and gender-related differences and conditions. Of course, both men and women can contract various similar conditions, however, the health of women is of particular concern due to the emerging epidemic of chronic diseases among women worldwide. Women are still more than often viewed as reproductive beings, which is why the main focus is being put on reproductive health, which is an important part of women’s health. However, it is also essential to focus more specifically on non-reproductive diseases due to population aging and changes in lifestyle. Besides that, many health conditions in women go undiagnosed and clinical trials are not always representative in including female test subjects.
Today, we are looking at the most common health issues that women should be looking out for and what women can do in order to stay healthy.
Heart Disease
Heart disease is one of the most common causes of death in women in the United States (one in every four deaths). Factors that are contributing to this are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or for example smoking, which affects around 50% of all consumers. Thankfully, researchers are constantly looking for new treatments and ways to improve the quality of life for people being at risk. There are currently around 180 clinical trials actively researching or currently recruiting for a variety of different heart disease studies.
Breast, Ovarian, or Cervical Cancers
Breast cancer is the most aggressive cancer affecting women all over the world. Over the course of their lifetime, about 1 in 8 US women (approximately 12%) will develop some form of invasive breast cancer according to breastcancer.org. In 2020, it is estimated that around 276,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer can be expected to be diagnosed in the United States. Because of this, there are currently around 1700 clinical trials active and/or recruiting in order to make progress to fight this disease.
In addition, ovarian and cervical cancers are also common diseases for women to watch out for. While cervical cancer causes not only pain but also discharge and pain during intercourse, ovarian cancer has more vague symptoms, however, the pain is pretty consistent.
Depression and Anxiety
Women are twice as likely as men to have been going through a depressive episode in their life. According to Regis College, natural hormonal fluctuations may lead to depression or anxiety, such as premenstrual dysmorphic disorder (PMDD) or premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Symptoms of depression and anxiety can hereby vary, but most commonly include extreme sadness and irritability, restlessness, anger management, loss of interest, thoughts of death. With currently over 750 active and recruiting studies for depression and almost 500 for anxiety, researchers are constantly looking for new solutions and answers to improve the quality of life for people living with mental health conditions.
Pregnancy Issues
Women that have been living with health conditions prepregnancy are more at risk for these conditions to worsen during pregnancy. Conditions such as diabetes, depressions or asthma may for example harm mothers and their children before giving birth if doctors are not involved to manage these conditions properly. Besides that, healthy mothers can also develop certain conditions throughout pregnancy, such as anemia, depressive episodes, or when a reproductive cell plants itself outside the uterus. Thankfully, obstetricians are able to cure many conditions that may occur during pregnancy to ensure the safety and health of mother and child.
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