Content provided by the Health & Wellness Team at GBS Benefits
Women’s health is a broad field encompassing the physical, mental, and social well-being of women throughout their lives. Women’s health focuses specifically on issues, conditions, and medical needs unique to females. This holistic perspective is essential to address the diverse challenges women face and to promote better health.
Key Aspects of Women’s Health
Physically, women’s health covers a range of conditions and diseases that affect females differently than males. One prominent aspect is reproductive health. This includes menstrual health, pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause. Each of these stages involves specific health considerations. Pregnancy brings its own set of health considerations, including prenatal care to monitor fetal development and manage complications. Menopause, typically occurring in midlife, marks the end of a woman’s menstrual cycles and is often associated with symptoms like hot flashes, mood changes, and an increased risk of osteoporosis.
Breast and cervical health are two critical areas where screening can prevent life-threatening consequences of cancer. Conditions such as depression and anxiety are prevalent among women, and they often present differently than in men. Addressing these mental health challenges requires comprehensive support, including counseling and medication if needed.
What can I do?
Preventive care is a cornerstone of women’s health. Regular check-ups, screenings, and vaccinations can prevent many conditions or catch them early when they are more treatable. Education about health risks, lifestyle choices, and self-care is vital in empowering women to make informed decisions about their health.
Cardiovascular Disease
- Cardiovascular disease is the #1 cause of death in both men and women.1
- Optimizing diet, blood pressure, glucose control (for diabetics), and cholesterol can significantly reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Cancer Screening
- Breast cancer is the most common invasive cancer for women in the U.S. About 1 in 8 women will develop invasive breast cancer in their lifetime.2
- The U.S. Preventive Service Task Force recommends mammograms every other year in women aged 40 to 74.3
- Cervical cancer: Pap testing is recommended every three years for women beginning at age 21. Alternative screening strategies which allow testing every five years are available beginning at age 30.
- Lung cancer and colorectal cancer are the second and third most common cancers in women.
- Lung cancer: People with a significant history of smoking can benefit from low-dose CT scan to screen for lung cancer. If found early, lung cancers can often be removed by using minimally invasive scopes.
- Colorectal cancer: There are multiple methods to detect colon cancer early. Colonoscopy is considered the best as not only can it detect pre-cancerous growths, but these growths can be easily removed during the colonoscopy. Other stool-based methods are effective at detecting cancer and pre-cancerous lesions but if positive would require a colonoscopy to confirm and remove the growth.
Summary
Women’s health is broad field which involves medical issues and broader social factors. Addressing physical, mental, and social aspects of health ensures a comprehensive approach to improving a woman’s well-being.
References:
1https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm
2https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/understanding-cancer-risk/cancer-facts/cancer-facts-for-women.html
3https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/
