Among all the inequalities women have to face every day, access to a healthcare system and timely diagnoses are the most critical. Here are five common pathologies in women’s health that must be taken care of to have reliable and preventive health maintenance.
Pathologies in women’s health Importance of testing
It’s no secret that, historically, sex has been excluded as a biological variable in medical research. This situation has created a gap in the knowledge about men’s and women’s health that we just have started closing. It was only in 2015 that the National Instituted of Health (NIH) asked medical investigators to consider this factor in their studies. How many things have we missed, then?
On the other hand, taking apart the sex condition, we must accept our disposition to underestimate the value of preventive healthcare. The chances of overcoming a serious disease are lower when time is against us and we don’t pay attention to the alerts displayed by our bodies.
However, late diagnosis is not just a problem for women. Schools, companies, and agencies that do not have a wellness program and don’t take seriously the health maintenance of this group of employees and members are more likely to have reductions in their workforce and affect the business.
In this sense, which are some of the most common pathologies in women that we must take into account?
Bacterial Vaginosis (BV)
This type of inflammation is caused by the overgrowth of bacteria naturally found in the vagina, upsetting the natural balance.
Women in their reproductive years are more likely to get bacterial vaginosis. Sexual relationships without protection increase the risk of catching BV, which principal symptoms are a strong smell in fish-like odor, burning when peeing, and a gray vaginal discharge.
The mistreatment of the pathology might increase the chance of getting diseases like HIV, Chlamydia, among other STDs.
Human papilloma virus (HPV) 16 & 18
HPV is one of the most common infections of the reproductive tract. The mistreatment of this condition is responsible for many types of cancers and other diseases in men and women, and it is a main cause of cervical cancer, the fourth most common cancer among women.
This virus, which more frequent types are 16 and 18, may be transmitted through sexual relationships and, in specific cases, with close skin contact. In women, the most common symptom is warts on the cervix and vagina.
Candidiasis Panel
People with weakened immune systems are more likely to get this fungal infection, which could affect the mouth, the skin, or the vagina. Most candidal infections produce redness, itching, and discomfort. But the signs of this pathology depend on the location of the body.
There are some factors, like HIV, cancer treatments, antibiotics misuse, and even stress that may increase the risk of getting this infection. According to MedlinePlus, wearing wet swimwear for a long time increase the chances to have candidiasis
Group B Strep (35th Week)
People of all ages, but especially newborns, can suffer from group B Streptococcus. The gastrointestinal tract, the part of the body in charge of the digestion of food, is the habitat of this bacteria, that most of the time is not harmful, but may cause an infection when invading other parts of the body and showing up, depending on the location infected, as fever, chills, cough, pus or drainage, etc.
Since this type of infection is most common in newborns and pregnant women, testing is highly recommended between 36 and 37 weeks of pregnancy.
Amenorrhea
It is the absence of the menstrual period after three cycles in a woman in reproductive years. Some of the several plausible causes of this pathology are pregnancy, eating disorders, obesity, overexercise, etc.
Amenorrhea can be detected with a physical exam and a pelvic exam. Delays in menstrual periods must be consulted immediately.
How frequently should I have a health checkup?
As we have said, the frequency of testing depends on each pathology. Nevertheless, a periodic full medical exam should be enough to detect these and other common pathologies in women’s health. Experts recommend having a health checkup every six months or every year.
In order to reach this frequency, wellness programs are a very effective strategy to cover a wide range of people with high levels of prevalence in these pathologies and reduce elevated health risks and healthcare costs that affect companies’ goals.