June 24, 2021
For every individual, maintaining a healthy body should be a top priority. You often hear about eating healthy and exercising. And while those things are good, for a woman, certain steps should be added on. There is a greater need to pay special attention to diseases that affect the sexual organs and those illnesses of a non-communicable nature, especially as relates to mental health.
Breast health, cervical health, and mental health represent three of the most important areas women should pay attention to. Early detection could be the difference between extended life and premature death.
Do Not Fear Mammograms
As a matter of caution, women from as early as their 40s are encouraged by physicians to undergo annual mammograms regardless if they feel okay. This is a simple screening that is done using X-ray machinery to spot any early signs of breast cancer. This is a lifesaving tool. Please don’t regard it as a hassle or opportunity for embarrassment.
It is not uncommon for first-timers to receive a call back from their doctor. This is nothing to become anxious about. It does not automatically signal an irregular mammogram result, on the contrary, it may be because of unclear imaging, or calcium build-up. For women with dense breast tissue that makes imaging more difficult, 3D mammography is available. If preoccupation comes naturally to you, waiting on these results can be taxing, but take courage as same-day readings are possible.
This test can easily save your life. There are cases where women have no indication of any abnormality, yet their results show otherwise. Early detection can reduce your risk of succumbing to breast cancer by up to 30%. If you are not yet at the age where this is deemed necessary, be sure to practice self-breast exams routinely. Get a feel for your breasts so that you will be better able to tell if something is wrong.
Pap Smears Save Lives
This is another preventative tool that women should take advantage of. Cervical cancers are on the rise. From the age of 21, according to the American Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, a woman should have a pap smear conducted every two years. For women in their 30s who have had at least 3 normal pap smears, once in every three years is recommended.
HPV is a major cause of cervical cancer. If administered to pre-teen children aged 11 to 12, the risk of contraction of this deadly virus is significantly diminished. Adults who are sexually active but have not received this vaccine should get tested for the presence of the human papillomavirus. This is not to generate fear. The body is capable in some persons to overcome the virus with no problem. Whether your body will or won’t cannot be predetermined therefore, decrease your likelihood of cervical cancer with this quick and largely painless test.
Mental Health Matters
The risk to mental health is two times greater for women than men. For many different reasons to include increased domestic violence, females are more prone to depression and anxiety than their male counterparts. Unipolar depression was on track to become the second most common cause of disability by 2020. This would mean that successfully preventing this disorder in women would put a considerable dent in finances needed to be allocated to the resulting disability.
Violence against women not only increases the risk of depression but also that of PTSD. And because women tend to wait longer to seek help than men when signs of post-traumatic stress disorder arise, the incidence within the female population augments.
Because of cultural, societal, and personal stigmas, women of African and Latin descent are less likely than Caucasian women to ask for help. If talking to a counselor or psychiatrist face to face is not an option for you, please use the online platform to secure help. Joining a support group can also be a start that opens the door to more positive expressions of feelings.
Nothing can beat early detection when it comes to health. Therefore, whatever hangups you may have about mammograms, pap smears and mental health checks should be left by the wayside. Many deaths resulting from breast and cervical cancers would have been prevented through regular screening procedures. Some of these ailments show no outward signs of disease, triggering no warning bells in the mind until too late.
But being of a certain age, be it pre-teen or pre-menopause, there are specific courses of action which apply. Parents vaccinate their daughters against HPV and women, put your reproductive and mental health first.