What are the health risks for women?

The core health risks faced by women throughout their life cycle are concentrated in three categories: reproductive system-related risks, chronic disease susceptibility risks, and psychological and emotional-related risks. Many risks are much more insidious than men, and they can easily be covered up by daily family and work chores, leading to missed diagnosis.

Oh, yes, a while ago I accompanied my 32-year-old best friend in the department to get the physical examination report. She usually took ibuprofen to deal with her dysmenorrhea and had never done any gynecological screening. The result was that she was positive for HPV16 and was accompanied by CIN1 precancerous lesions. When I got the results, everyone was confused. She said that except for the occasional vaginal discharge, she didn't feel uncomfortable at all. In fact, cervical lesions, polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, and pregnancy-related risks in the childbearing age, such as ectopic pregnancy, postpartum embolism, etc., are really easy to be ignored. Many girls have been taught since childhood that "menstrual discomfort is normal" and "gynecological examinations are only done by married people." Even if they are uncomfortable, they will not go to see them, which will become a chronic disease.

Don’t think that only gynecology-related risks are exclusive to women. When I was doing health education in the community last month, I met several aunts in their early 50s. They had just gone through menopause for a year or two. They usually took care of their grandchildren at home and did housework. Occasionally, they thought they were tired and had chest tightness and shoulder pain. They just took it and passed it. As a result, we did free coronary calcium screening on site. Two aunts already had obvious signs of stenosis, and they were quickly advised to go to the hospital for further examination. Many people don’t know that before menopause, women have estrogen as a “protective shield” for cardiovascular disease. The incidence of coronary heart disease is indeed lower than that of men. However, after menopause, estrogen levels drop off a cliff, and the incidence of cardiovascular disease will increase faster than men of the same age. In addition, women usually cook People smoke more cigarettes and rarely take the initiative to do cardiovascular and bone density-related screenings. The missed diagnosis rate of osteoporosis and coronary heart disease is particularly high, not to mention thyroid disease and breast cancer, which are 3-5 times more common than men. They have now become a high-incidence problem for women aged 25-45.

There are also emotion-related risks that are easily ignored by everyone. When I received a health consultation last week, I met a 28-year-old female Internet operator. She had just returned to work half a year after giving birth. She had to meet project KPIs every day, and had to get up to feed two or three times at night. She suffered from insomnia for almost two months. She herself felt that she had "poor ability to withstand stress." It wasn't until she started smashing things uncontrollably and having thoughts of self-harm that her husband pulled her in for consultation. She was diagnosed with moderate depression. In fact, due to the influence of physiological hormone fluctuations, the incidence of mood disorders in women during adolescence, pregnancy and childbirth, and menopause is more than twice that of men. However, most people will classify such emotional abnormalities as "hypocrisy" and "overthinking". Many women even think so themselves, and they never think of seeking professional intervention.

Oh, by the way, there is another controversial point now. Many people say that "if you don't have sex, you don't need to have a gynecological examination." Clinically, many experts do believe that women who don't have sex have a low risk of gynecological infections and do not need to undergo invasive gynecological examinations. However, there are more and more clinical cases. It shows that problems such as ovarian teratomas and endometrial polyps may occur even if there is no sexual life. Therefore, the academic community is now calling for, regardless of whether there is sexual life or not, as long as you are over 20 years old, it is best to arrange basic gynecological ultrasound and breast ultrasound every year, without feeling embarrassed.

To be honest, in the five or six years I have been doing health management, I have met too many women who put the health of their families and children first. They are too lazy to open their physical examination reports. Sometimes they feel uncomfortable and think "we will talk about it after I finish the work." However, many health risks really cannot wait. Paying more attention to yourself is more effective than any supplement.