Treatment, prevention and diagnosis of women’s healthConditions have made great strides, baby. EverydayHealth.com is proud to be a health and wellness site dedicated to women’s health. “Women’s Works: Tools for a Healthier You.”Over 250 hospitals across the country offer free educational programs throughout May. Each program will spotlight the innovations and advances in certain conditions that impact women.
“Fear prevents a lot of women from making the necessary appointments for medical tests to stay healthy,”Jenny Sucov is the editor at EverydayHealth.com. “We wanted to focus on five major conditions affecting women — from fibroids to breast cancer to osteoporosis — and dispel some old beliefs about what’s involved in certain procedures. Ultimately, we want to educate women and encourage them to take charge of their own health.”
Here are some highlights:
* Heart Disease. Researchers are currently working to improve the ways that women can be evaluated for heart disease, as well as routine assessments of risk factors like high cholesterol. Recent research has shown that women’s periods can affect their cholesterol levels.
* Breast Cancer. The new Computed Tomography scanner (CT), which was specifically designed for breast cancer, does away with the need to compress breast tissue. It produces a 3D image in just 10 seconds. The CT scanner is capable of detecting tumors as small and as small as 3 millimeters that are hard to see on a mammogram.
* Fibroids. Some fibroids do not require treatment. Other fibroids can be controlled with birth-control pills and other medications. Others may need surgery, including a hysterectomy. A hysterectomy used to take many weeks of pain and leave large scars. Modern robotic surgery techniques like da Vinci Surgery have made it possible for patients undergoing hysterectomy to leave the hospital within days. There are only a few small (1/2 to 1-inch) incisions that need to heal.
* Osteoporosis & Osteoarthritis. Forteo is a new drug that targets osteoporosis and aims to increase bone mass, rather than prevent it.
* Gestational Diabetes. If left untreated, gestational diabetics can cause overweight babies. The American Diabetes Association announced new testing standards in March. This may increase the chances of women suffering from the condition being able to lower their blood sugar.
EverydayHealth.com provides more information about the advances in women’s health, and you can find an educational event free of charge near you.
