Women’s Health & Wellness
May is Women’s Health Month and we sat down with Clinician Juliana Caram to talk about women’s health and wellness, from awareness to prevention and beyond. Staying healthy as we age can affect so much of our daily lives, from our physical health to our emotional and mental health. Annual check-ups and recommended screenings are an effective way for your primary care provider to stay up to date with your current and future healthcare needs. Today, we’ll be taking an in-depth look at issues that impact women’s health and wellness, including Stress, Breast and Gynecological Health, and Bone Health.
Stress
Take a step back this week and concentrate on you, what makes you feel healthy and happy. Finding time to nourish your mind and body can help reduce stress, promote healthy living, and improve the way you feel. Long-term stress can lead to serious health problems, according to the US Department of Health & Human Services. “Women are more likely than men to report symptoms of stress, including headaches and upset stomach. Women are also more likely to have mental health conditions that are made worse by stress, such as depression or anxiety.” There are many ways to help handle stress, including exercise, relaxing activities, and talking to your clinician. For more information on how stress impacts your health and ways to manage it, you can visit WomensHealth.gov.
Breast and Gynecological Health
When it comes to breast and gynecological health, screenings can be critical. According to BreastCancer.org, 1 in 8 women will have breast cancer in their lifetime. “Regular mammogram and Pap smear screenings can help in identifying cancer growth,” says Clinician Juliana Caram. “Early detection can save lives.” The guidelines for mammograms vary when it comes to the right age to begin testing, but a conversation with your primary care provider about the risks, limitations, and benefits of early screening is a good place to start.
“There are some misconceptions about mammogram screening,” Caram explains. “Some patients decide to skip mammograms because of their fear of radiation exposure.” On average, the radiation dosage from a typical mammogram with 2 views of each breast is about .4mSv. According to Cancer.org, “to put the dose into perspective, people in the US are normally exposed to an average of about 3mSv of radiation each year from their natural surroundings.” One mammogram screening per year is approximately the same amount of background radiation that occurs in a woman’s natural surroundings over a period of about two months.
Regular mammograms can help identify breast cancer early, when treatment is most successful. “Patients with normal results sometimes decide to skip testing,” Caram warns, “but cancer can progress quickly. Some patients will feel a lump or pain, but some patients have no outward showing symptoms. Often times, symptoms of cancer can occur once it has progressed. Early detection can help reduce prolonged treatment of chemotherapy, radiation, and invasive surgery.”
Common risk factors for breast cancer can include age, family history, and ethnicity. A woman’s risk of breast cancer nearly doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. “If you have a first-degree relative with a history of breast or gynecological cancer, we recommend genetic testing,” Caram says. Genetic testing has many uses in health care, including diagnostic and predictive testing, which can identify existing genetic conditions or variations that increase a person’s chance of developing specific diseases.
“If a patient has a known genetic mutation, we can develop a customized screening plan for them, including early screenings,” adds Caram. Visit BreastCancer.org for more information on risk factors and talk with your clinician about any questions or concerns.
With gynecological health, women 21 years and older should have a Pap smear every three years if normal, and every year if abnormal. Pap smears offer a safe way to screen for cervical cancer. Some women opt out of screening due to lack of information, health care costs, or not having a gynecologist. “Most family doctors offer Pap smear exams as recommended,” Caram says.
Cervical exams can also be done for HPV. HPV is a common sexually transmitted virus with many varieties, but not all kinds of HPV lead to health problems and cancer. HPV infections are so common that nearly all men and women will get at least one type of HPV at some point in their lives, according to the CDC. Nearly 80 million Americans are currently infected with some type of HPV, but approximately 9 out of 10 HPV infections go away on their own within two years.
“Only a few types of HPV are linked to cancer. And those are the ones that we’re screening patients for,” Caram explains. Patients who test positive for HPV can be at high risk for cervical cancer. “There is a vaccine offered for HPV for young men and women until the age of 26, which can help prevent cancer,” says Caram. According to the CDC, “HPV vaccination provides safe, effective, and long-lasting protection against cancers caused by HPV.” You can read more about HPV vaccination here.
Bone Health
Women have a greater risk to develop osteoporosis than men do. According to the National Institutes of Health, women are at higher risk due to smaller, thinner bones, as well as the loss of estrogen that occurs after menopause (typically between ages 45-55). Osteoporosis occurs when bones become brittle due to reduction in bone density. While there are treatment options, there is no cure for osteoporosis. Often called “the silent disease,” bone loss can occur with little to no symptoms. However, with early detection, prevention and healthy lifestyle choices, it’s possible to help reduce bone loss.
“With low estrogen production, you are at an increased risk for low bone density” explains Caram. “After menopause, a diet rich in calcium and Vitamin D is recommended. The recommended daily doses are 1200mg Calcium and 800 units D3.” Other dietary benefits include protein intake, a diet rich in vegetables, and additional vitamins and minerals.
A healthy diet combined with regular exercise can also help women at risk for osteoporosis. According to Healthline, “performing weight-bearing and resistance training exercises can help increase bone formation during bone growth and protect bone health in older adults, including those with low bone density.”
Women at risk of having osteoporosis may take a Bone Mineral Density (BMD) test, which can identify osteopenia (low bone mass) and osteoporosis (brittle bones), determine your risk for future broken bones, and monitor the effects of treatment.
Conclusion
Annual health and wellness check-ups and early detection and prevention are critical when it comes to your health. Seeing your clinician on a regular basis and being open about your concerns and questions helps your healthcare professional provide personalized care where it matters most. Maintaining a balanced diet and regular exercise, as well as healthy habits to reduce stress, can improve overall physical, emotional, and mental health. Early detection and monitoring can be lifesaving for breast and gynecological health, and preventative care can help reduce the severity of issues like osteoporosis and even heart disease.
“Having a balanced diet and exercise routine is important for overall health” advises Caram. “A health-conscious diet and regular physical activity help create healthy habits, which can benefit women and help decrease health issues.”
Ready to come in for your annual wellness exam? We care about you and your family’s health. If you have any questions or concerns, you can always Book An Appointment or contact us through the Patient Portal.
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Disclaimer: All information presented on this website is intended for educational purposes only and not intended to replace your individual medical advice. Please review this information with your clinical team to ensure it is appropriate for your individual medical needs. The information contained is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.