Articles in the Women's Health Category
Women's Health »
Menstruation. Every woman has the experience and every woman has her own personal thoughts about how it affects her life.
Menstruation is the visible phase of the menstrual cycle that is counted from the first day of bleeding of one cycle to the day before the 1st day of bleeding of the next. Menstruation is the time in a woman’s life that marks the reproductive years. The beginning of menstruation is called menarche and the end of this period is called menopause.
It is important that all woman recognize what is a normal cycle so they can recognize symptoms that are not normal that may indicate the beginning of a dysfunction or illness.
The bleeding that women experience each month is actually the end of a 25 to 35 day process when the body prepares to become pregnant. A normal period lasts from 3-7 days using the first day of bleeding to count. Although the process is usually 25-35 days long teenage girls cycles are not normally regular until they have had their period for several years.
Women's Health »
Cramps are a reality for most teens and women in their 20s and early 30s. They are caused by strong uterine contractions triggered by prostaglandins. These strong contractions cause the blood supply in the uterus to temporarily shut down and then increase the contractions and pain.
Menstrual cramps are the single biggest reason for lost school and work hours among women. Cramps can be mild to debilitating and don’t require a doctors attention unless the pain isnt controlled by over the counter medications and other home remedies.
Women can use a menstrual calendar to predict their periods, chart their pain and emotional responses to the hormonal changes that happen each month. Using this calendar a woman can begin taking ibuprofen 2 times a day the day before she expects her period. Ibuprofen blocks the prostaglandin receptors in the uterus and significantly decreases the pain and cramping.
Some women also suffer from constipation during the beginning of their period. Eating 8 servings of fruits and vegetables and maintaining a healthy colon, at least 3 days before she expects her period, will decrease the pain and discomfort from constipation.
Women's Health »
According to legend tampons can get lost in a woman’s body never to be seen again; tampons are spiked with asbestos to increase bleeding and boost sales; and rayon tampons are especially dangerous to a woman’s health.
These are Internet legends and the truth is…
Asbestos has never been a component in the manufacturing of tampons. Asbestos can only get into tampons through some sort of tampering. Rayon tampons are just as safe as cotton ones. Tampons don’t get lost in a woman’s body ever.
The Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates tampons as a medical device. This forces the manufacturers to conduct safety studies, review and clear the products before they can be marketed to the general public. The FDA also regulates absorbency ratings.
Each box of tampons has an absorbency rating that is consistent from brand to brand. So purchasing Brand A with a super absorbency rating will get you the same absorbency as purchasing Brand B with a super rating.
The risks of using tampons:
Women's Health »
PMS or premenstrual syndrome is a term used to describe a set of hormonal changes that trigger a syndrome in a significant number of women for up to two weeks before the start of her period. More than 5 million women require treatment for symptoms of PMS such as marked mood changes and behavioral changes.
Symptoms of PMS will often taper off with the start of her period and then she remains symptom free until approximately two weeks prior to the next period.
There are over 150 symptoms that have been attributed to PMS. The most common physical PMS symptoms are crying spells, headache, fatigue, fluid retention, constipation, backaches, cramping and weight gain. Emotional symptoms of PMS include behavior changes, anxiety, depression, irritability, panic attacks, tension and altered libido.
PMS symptoms can vary from month to month and women can be symptom free during some months.
Women's Health »
Most teens start menstruating when they are 11-13 years old but the first period can start as early as 9! So when do you start to talk about teen menstruation? How early is early enough?
You can generally predict the start of a girls menstrual periods by the development of her breasts. Girls develop breast buds, or small nodules below the nipples as the breasts begin to grow. This development happens approximately 2 years before she will start her period.
Most preteens are too embarrassed to start the discussion themselves so it is up to you to begin the conversation. There is too much information to cover all of it in one conversation and one talk will discourage your girl from asking questions later.
To introduce the topic you may want to ask her what she already knows and has heard from her friends. You can also start the conversation with health issues, which may be less embarrassing for her. Answer any of her questions honestly and at her maturity level.
Women's Health »
PMS Depression or Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is a severe form of PMS and is diagnosed by the pattern of PMDD symptoms. PMS (premenstrual syndrome) is a group of approximately 150 different symptoms that happen in the 2 weeks prior to the start of a woman’s period. The PMDD symptoms can be both physical and emotional and are very real and prompt many women to find an effective PMDD treatment.
PMDD symptoms were once thought to be hysterical and only in the mind of the woman, but after years of research scientists have found that over 50 million women suffer from these PMDD symptoms each month. PMDD symptoms, including PMS depression, can significantly interfere with social, occupational and sexual functioning.
For a diagnosis of PMDD to be made, the woman must have a symptom-free period during her follicular phase of the menstrual cycle to distinguish it from other pre-existing anxiety and mood disorders.
The symptoms of PMDD and depression have considerable overlap. Approximately 30-75% of the women diagnosed with PMDD also have a lifetime history of depression, compared to the 15% of women without PMDD who suffer from depression.
Women's Health »
Menstrual migraines affect only women and are quite debilitating. The migraines are affected by hormones fluctuating through the menstrual cycle. Women suffer from migraines 3 times more frequently then men and those which are controlled by hormones are classified as menstrual headaches and PMS headaches. Menstrual migraines and PMS headaches occur in 60% of all women who suffer from migraines.
Menstrual migraines are a complex problem that requires a significant amount of skill to diagnose and treat successfully. Women shouldn’t be satisfied with the first answer or even the second one but should seek out care for menstrual migraines until they are satisfied that their particular menstrual migraines are adequately treated.
Serotinin is involved in the trigger of many menstrual migraines. Some researchers believe there is also a genetic link in the way that people metabolize serotonin and then the way in which the hormone interacts with the female hormones.
The symptoms of menstrual migraines are similar to those of migraines. The headaches usually start on one side, are throbbing and accompanied by nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to bright lights.
