Unhappy Women Loss Their Health

       Latest Research On Women Health

Living a long, healthy, and happy life is what most of us hope to achieve. Meeting those goals requires some determination on our part. Our lives are often so busy, that many times we forget to incorporate these basic steps necessary to health, happiness, and longevity into our daily lives.

• All women should have annual pelvic examsby the age of 21 whether or not they are sexually active. Young women who become sexually active before age 18 should have a pelvic exam, including Pap smear, whenever sexual activity begins. Girls should begin a habit of monthly breast self-exam with the onset of menstruation. Although there is debate about when to start annual mammograms, it is generally sometime between ages 40 and 50. Mammography is an important tool in the early diagnosis of breast cancer.
  
  It's important for women to remember to have general health checkups, which are often not provided by OB/GYNs. From the ages of 25 to 64, all women should have basic screens each year that include height, weight, and blood pressure. At the age of 50 screening for colorectal cancer becomes an important and sometimes lifesaving tool. Your family physician can perform these checks and order other diagnostic tests such as cholesterol screening, thyroid function tests, and other appropriate laboratory or radiology screenings as needed. And don't forget to keep your immunizations up-to-date, adults often forget that tetanus shots provide protection for only ten years.

• Most importantly, when medications are prescribed don't forget to take them as prescribed. If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid disease, or another condition, taking your medicine as prescribed is extremely important if you want to live a long and healthy life.
  


• Being an adult doesn't mean you don't need to see your dentist regularly. It may actually become more important as we age. Several diseases are under investigation for their relationship to oral health. For example, the risk of cardiovascular disease has been associated with tooth loss, and periodontal disease has been linked to pre-term labor in pregnancy. According to About Dentistry Guide Dr. John Brooke, " Cancer of the lip, tongue, pharynx, and mouth affects approximately 30,000 people every year. This disease kills almost 8,000 people every year, or about one person an hour." So, don't forget to brush, floss, and see your dentist regularly.

Women Health Corner