This Women’s Health Month, let’s take a look at why Preventive Health Care is a must for women
Women are leading a tougher life than ever, and even with the incredible feet our modern day life has achieved, it is important to keep a regular check on health.
Although we live in a time where almost any disease, if not entirely curable, can at least be prevented- thanks to the increasing benefits of technology- it is important to maintain measures of prevention when it comes to diseases. Just like health, diseases can compromise of both physical and mental states that are often caused by environmental factors, genetic predisposition, intercourse, and even lifestyle choices. To some extent health and disease are inversely proportional to each other, and to maintain a balance between the two it is certainly important to remain aware of how one’s body functions.
Even today, almost every year, a considerable number of people die of preventable diseases and that is only one of the consequences of not being regular with preventive health care. However, such mishaps can easily be avoided with an early preventive health screening so that the measures to keep diseases at bay can be worked upon. Especially in the cases of women, whose physiology is way more complicated than men, and with the whole reproductive function it is important for any woman to keep a check on the workings of her body.
Women’s health functions differently than men’s. Unlike developed countries where the life expectancy gap between man and woman is close to nil, developing countries such as India continue to run at the risk of losing its female population way before the male population. Women run a substantial risk to their health when it comes to child birth, something that a man does not have to encounter. Even in developed countries, a woman has to take special care of her body since at some point in her life it acts like a vessel for another life to take its form. In developing countries where medical system continues to remain a matter of concern, the range of women dying of childbirth is dangerously high. In many cases maternal mortality can account for almost a quarter of a million death per year, and other non-reproductive diseases often contribute to preeclampsia, a disorder during pregnancy when there is a significant rise of protein in blood that might lead to liver impairment and kidney dysfunction.
However, the worst scenario for women continues to be sexually transmitted diseases that can have serious consequences on both the mother and the child. It can often lead to mother-to-child transmitted diseases that are the major cause of stillbirths, neonatal death, and even pelvic inflammatory disease leading to infertility. Other than that forced sexual encounters, birth control pills, and abortion often weaken the woman’s health beyond repair. In fact, a woman is often subject to breast cancer, ovarian and cervical cancers. Hence, it is almost mandatory for every woman to keep a check of what is going on with her body.
There are several ways that preventive health care can work for a woman. It can be done through screening; tests, exams, and immunization which can help detect health problems early on in her life so that she remains protected during the most complicated phases of her life. In that case, let’s take a brief look at the preventive health measures which might help:
- An Annual Wellness Check-up - While this step goes by various names, it basically indicates that annual visit to your doctor where you get a brief idea about your weight, height, blood pressure, and heart rate. The process takes a while since the patient’s blood is drawn out in order to check her glucose and cholesterol levels. It is basically a mandatory health check up to have a brief idea about the very primary features of one’s body.
- Cancer Screening - This is often done to keep a check of the three main types of cancer which a woman suffers from. Colorectal cancer screening is an advisable practice for women beyond the age of 50. The cancer often grows from precancerous polyps (abnormal growths) in the colon or rectum. The screening helps find the polyps so that they can be removed before they become a threat. Similarly, mammograms help with breast cancer screening for women around the age of 40. However, mammography in this case is quite controversial as it may accentuate the threat with unnecessary medical procedures. In that case a Pap test might work which is often used for cervical cancer screening. It helps track down the cervical cells before they become cancerous, and in earlier stages to help cure cancer.
- Obesity and Diabetes Screening - Weight and the presence of too much sugar in the blood often serves as the primary factors for any kind of disease. Reviewing body mass and recognize the potential threat it might have on one’s body in the long run is the first step to prevent such diseases. On the other hand, a healthy diet and regular exercise often serve as the best medication to keep all diseases at bay. In fact, a proper lifestyle can actually be the ultimate cure to any kind of disease from obesity to cancer.
- Depression Screening - Women run the highest risk of suffering from postpartum depression, where a mother is unable to entirely relish the joy of having a baby. Due to the continuous upheaval of hormones and the whole change that the body goes through during pregnancy, a woman is at greater risk of a mental breakdown than a man. It is important to speak with a doctor about the changes that the body is feeling during, before or even after pregnancy in order to maintain a healthy state of mind.
Prevention comes once you are aware of what is happening. In order to be aware it is always a good idea to get to know your body through screening and other check-ups, before any form of disease might attack the immune system. Preventive care services are often entirely covered by medical insurances and under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) almost 55 million women gain no-cost access to medical preventive care. Hospitals such as Apollo and Fortis have low-cost packages for women to take their regular preventive screenings.
