Various Women’s Body Issues

Women nowadays suffer from various kinds of mental and physical issues that are mainly caused due to the high levels of stress and anxiety that they suffer from. It has been seen that women are usually prone to Ob-Gyn, Oabnormal pap smears, Osteoporosis, Perimenopause health problems like as compared to men because they are genetically different and their hormones and reproductive organs are usually the main sources of their trouble. The health of a woman is crucial because she is not only responsible for her own health but also has to bear a child.

Thus it is vital that women implement various steps to know more about women's health and related issues so that they can take better care of their body and thus avoid and prevent these ailments and diseases. There are various kinds of physical and mental ailments that befall a woman and these deal with issues like breast cancer, diabetes and reproductive and birth control issues. It has been seen that most of these issues are critical and need immediate care.

It is vital for women to understand that their body types and structure are not the same like men and hence taking care of their body the same way that men do is not going to help. One of the biggest issues that women have to face today is the problems of drinking and smoking. It has been that the consumption of alcohol in women has gone up drastically and this has resulted in various kinds of health problems like infertility and other related issues.

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CervicalCheck changes spell danger for women's health

The National Cervical Screening Programme (NCSP) has recently announced changes to the CervicalCheck screening programme.

The CervicalCheck programme was launched in September 2008 which involved the creation of a nationwide screening test which assessed a woman's risk of developing cervical cancer.

All a woman had to do was to attend her General Practitioner who would carry out the simple test for free there and then.If the test found abnormalities another simple procedure could be carried out, if necessary, on a later date by a gynaecologist which would essentially prevent the progression to cervical cancer.

The programme has the potential to reduce rates of cervical cancer by 80% if 4 in every 5 women were to avail of the test.

However, the recent changes announced mean that screening will shift from being open access to an organised call, re-call method of invitation to begin in September 2009.

This means that women who have not availed of the screening programme yet will need to register if they wish to do so in the future. In a letter to GPs the NCSP said that this will mean that even after going through the trouble of registering, women will have to wait 6 months before receiving a letter of invitation allowing them to avail of the test.

News Source : CervicalCheck changes spell danger for women's health

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Menopause And Exercise - 6 Great Reasons To Do It

Exercise Can Help Menopause

Regular, vigorous exercise at menopause time can help reduce many of the commonest symptoms of menopause. It will also help deal with heart disease and osteoporosis. Use exercise as part of a holistic 'menopause programme' which should include attention to diet and relaxation as well as use of natural remedies including herbs.

Here are the 6 great reasons to exercise at menopause time:

1. Exercise, Menopause And Feeling Good

Aerobic exercise improves your mood and relieves tension. This helps to reduce the depression and anxiety which can accompany menopause. This is thanks to the hormones called endorphins released by exercise. For some people the good feelings last for several hours after the exercise has finished.

2. Exercise, Menopause And The Brain

Exercise improves blood circulation to the brain. This helps to counteract the poor memory and fuzzy brain which often accompany menopause.

Use ginkgo herb at this time too. Ginkgo helps memory and other brain functions. Try a 3-month course.

3. Exercise, Menopause And Abdominal Fat

Aerobic exercise helps to reduce abdominal fat. This is the place where weight easily goes on during menopause.

Aerobic exercise involves continuous, moderate exertion over an extended time. For example, running, hill walking, swimming and tennis are aerobic; golf, weights and exercise machines are not, because of the frequent breaks.

4. Menopause And Osteoporosis

Strength training (at a gym) stimulates bone growth and delays the progress of, or onset of, osteoporosis. If possible, start this before menopause begins; the earlier the better.

5. Exercise And Heart Health

Exercise helps to improve cholesterol levels. This adds to the benefits for the heart and arteries provided by increased physical fitness.

6. Menopause, Exercise, And The Immune System

The lymphatic fluid is an essential part of the immune system. Exercise is the main factor making this vital fluid flow through the body. So exercise helps ensure maximum health both during menopause and at other times because it stimulates the immune system.

What You Can Do

* Take up a sport and play several times a week.
* Take long, regular country walks over rough terrain.
* Try yoga; once learned, you can do this yourself at home conveniently and at low cost.
* Go to the gym and set up a training programme in consultation with a qualified member of staff.

Start To Exercise Now

Start a programme of regular exercise at menopause time and see how great you feel for it. Start slowly but regularly and you will often see your symptoms improve steadily. In addition you will help your weight to stay moderate and benefit every organ and system of your body. This must make sense!



Max Hill, a practitioner for 20 years, loves sharing what he knows. On www.herbal-menopause.com he gives valuable information about menopause symptoms. Get the benefit of Max's experience and knowledge.


Article Source: Artipot

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Menopause—Important Time of Women’s Life

Menopause, in simple words, is the medical term for the end of a woman's menstrual periods. That means end of pregnancy. It is a natural part of aging, and occurs when the ovaries stop making hormones called estrogens. This causes estrogen levels to drop, and leads to the end of monthly menstrual periods. Although its time period varies from individual to individual (generally happens between the ages of 45 and 60), but it can happen earlier. Menopause can also occur when the ovaries are surgically removed or stop functioning for any other reason.

Low estrogen levels not only make pregnancy difficult, but also linked to some uncomfortable symptoms in many women. The most common and easy to recognize symptom is hot flashes (sudden intense waves of heat and sweating). Some women find that these hot flashes disrupt their sleep, and others report mood changes or also called mood swing.

Other symptoms of menopause may include:

• Irregular periods

• Vaginal or urinary tract infections

• Urinary incontinence (leakage of urine or inability to control urine flow)

• Inflammation of the vagina

Because of the changes in the urinary tract and vagina, some women may have discomfort or pain during sexual intercourse (either because of vaginal dryness or lack of desire). Many women also notice changes in their skin, digestive tract, and hair during menopause. And in the long term, some women experience problems linked to the low levels of estrogen found after menopause. These may include osteoporosis and increased risk for heart disease.

Undoubtedly, menopause is an important time in a woman's life. Her body is going through changes that can affect her social life, her feelings about herself, depression and even her functioning at work. In the past, menopause was often surrounded by misconceptions and myths.

Now, it is recognized that menopause is a natural step in the process of aging. The hot flashes, changing moods, and confusion usually disappear eventually as your estrogen stays at a low level. However, you still have to protect yourself from bone loss and heart disease. Contrary to the old-fashioned view that graph of life starts downward after menopause; many women today find that the years after menopause offer new discoveries and fresh challenges.

Basically, the symptoms of menopause arrive when your estrogen levels start changing and normally these symptoms stop when estrogen level settles down. A woman's body can go through several kinds of changes at the same time. Early in menopause, estrogen levels can rise sharply and then drop, which means you, may skip periods or even have heavier flow than usual some months. Your period may become increasingly irregular, and then eventually stop altogether. Menopause can affect your body organs and systems in many different ways.

Treatment for the symptoms of menopause can be approached in two phases. During the early time period of menopause, you and your doctor should discuss your symptoms and whether to treat them as they occur. You should be evaluated for your risk of getting breast cancer, osteoporosis (severe bone loss), and heart disease. If you're not at high risk for breast cancer, you may want to consider taking estrogen for a limited time, and using the lowest effective dose, which can help manage several symptoms at once. If you are at risk, other treatments are available. Similarly, during the later part of menopause you should focus on effectively preventing disease. Your earlier symptoms will probably disappear.

For diagnosis and then treatment of your specific symptoms you and your doctor should discuss frequently and share information that will help you make the best decisions about your health. There are many things to keep in mind, because menopause and the years that follow it usually cover the second half of a woman's life. Talk to your doctor about all of the treatment choices to decide what is right for you.

Many women want to replace the estrogen their body is losing, because estrogen does relieve many symptoms of menopause. Women who still have a uterus usually take a combination of estrogen with a form of progesterone, called progestin. Tamoxifen (used to prevent breast cancer) and raloxifene (used to prevent osteoporosis) are drugs known as "designer estrogens." These drugs have been developed to act beneficially as estrogen on some tissue and to act as estrogen-blockers (anti-estrogens) on other tissue. These drugs also are known by the more technical name Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators or SERMs.

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