You Are Different

We are all human. All of us, men and women, must face health concerns, but that doesn’t mean our health concerns are the same. For example, women have different symptoms for heart disease. There are those diseases and conditions that are more common in women, such as osteoporosis, obesity and depression. Then, of course there are conditions like menopause and pregnancy, which we can safely say are unique to women.

When it comes to your health, it’s vital to think like a woman. Here are some of the ways women’s health is different than men’s.

Heart Disease

Although many people think of heart disease as a man's problem, women can and do get heart disease. In fact, heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States. One in three American women dies of heart disease. In 2003, almost twice as many women died of cardiovascular disease (both heart disease and stroke) than from all cancers combined. It is also a leading cause of disability among women.

Though men and women share heart disease troubles, significant differences exist in the symptoms displayed by women and men. Men typically experience the "classic" heart attack signs: tightness in the chest, arm pain, and shortness of breath. Women's symptoms -- nausea, an overwhelming fatigue, and dizziness -- are strikingly different and are often chalked up to stress. Women have reported that they have had a hard time getting their doctors to listen to them about these early warning symptoms.
The older a woman gets, the more likely she is to get heart disease. But women of all ages should be concerned about heart disease. All women can take steps to prevent it by practicing healthy lifestyle habits. Prevention is important: two-thirds of women who have a heart attack fail to make a full recovery.

Alcohol Intake

Alcohol presents another health challenge for women. Even in small amounts, alcohol affects women differently than men. In some ways, heavy drinking is much more risky for women than it is for men.

With any health issue, accurate information is key. There are times and ways to drink that are safer than others. Every woman is different. No amount of drinking is 100 percent safe, 100 percent of the time, for every woman. With this in mind, it’s important to know how alcohol can affect a woman’s health and safety.

• Alcoholic liver disease: Women are more likely than men to develop alcoholic hepatitis (liver inflammation) and to die from cirrhosis.
• Brain disease: Most alcoholics have some loss of mental function, reduced brain size, and changes in the function of brain cells. Research suggests that women are more vulnerable than men to alcohol-induced brain damage.
• Cancer: Many studies report that heavy drinking increases the risk of breast cancer. Alcohol also is linked to cancers of the digestive tract and of the head and neck (the risk is especially high in smokers who also drink heavily).
• Heart disease: Chronic heavy drinking is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease. Among heavy drinkers, men and women have similar rates of alcohol-related heart disease, even though women drink less alcohol over a lifetime than men.

Obesity

Among U.S. women 20 years and older, over 64 million are overweight and over 34 million are obese. An unhealthy diet and physical inactivity can increase your chances of getting heart disease, cancer, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, breathing problems, arthritis, gallbladder disease, and osteoarthritis.

But body weight isn’t the only problem. The places where you store your body fat also affect your health. Women with a “pear” shape tend to store fat in their hips and buttocks. Women with an “apple” shape store fat around their waists.

For most women, carrying extra weight around their waists (larger than 35 inches) raises health risks like heart disease, diabetes, or cancer more than carrying extra weight around the hips or thighs. Obesity can also affect medical care. Too much fat can obscure imaging tests, like X-rays, CT scans, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). For example, in an ultrasound, the beam may not be able get through layers of fat to get an image of a person’s appendix, gallbladder, or kidneys. Too much body fat can make it harder for a doctor to make a medical diagnosis and treat a patient.

Breast Cancer

It seems like we've all been affected by breast cancer at some point in our lives, whether we have had it, or have had a family member or friend who's battled it. Every woman has a chance of getting breast cancer. Other than skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women and the disease we fear most. As scared as we are, you can try to remember that if you find breast cancer early, it can often be treated successfully.

This is why you hear people say “get a mammogram” and “check yourself” over and over again. Don’t tune it out. Self exams and mammograms are an essential part of maintaining breast health. How often do you need these exams? A breast self-exam is recommended every month a few days after your period ends. Women 40 years and older should get a mammogram every 1 to 2 years.
These are just a few examples of the importance of taking a female-centric approach to your health. When it comes to wellness, your body doesn’t play by the guys’ rules.