Womens Health Bundle

 

Cancer Toxins to Avoid

As a woman, cancers like breast and ovarian cancer are a high risk, but you can get any type of cancer out there. While some of your risk has to do with genetics and lifestyle choices, there are also some toxins you may not be aware you are exposed to. Make sure you avoid these cancer toxins.

Pesticides

The first type of toxin that can potentially lead to cancer is pesticides. Pesticides are most often found in your food, but by making smart choices and rinsing what you can, you have a great method for reducing how many pesticides you ingest. Typically, it is just a small amount of residue, but any amount you can wash off, the better you will be. The pesticides that may cause cancer are herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. They can not only lead to cancer, but pose other serious health risks as well. The biggest culprits for these toxins are produce and meat products.

Arsenic

Believe it or not, you might also be ingesting some arsenic into your body, which is another known cancer toxin. Arsenic is of course a deadly toxin to be avoided, but it is also found in common foods and drinks you wouldn’t think of. This can be anything as simple as apple seeds, to something like wine. Many red and white wine uses a small amount of arsenic, and the World Health Organization is looking at how even small trace amounts might increase your risk for cancer. 

Chloroform

Chloroform is a chemical that is a little less common, but can be found in oxygen, food, and even your own water. This is most often a concern when you live somewhere that doesn’t have clean drinking water, or if you eat a lot of processed foods. This is yet another reason to try and stick to whole, fresh foods, and go organic whenever possible.

As you can see, simple foods you eat every day could possibly have dangerous toxins that lead to cancer and other serious diseases. By sticking to fresh foods, cooking at home, and making sure everything is rinsed thoroughly, you are going far at reducing how many of these toxins you ingest into your body. You can also talk to your doctor about other potential cancer risks, particularly for the cancers that are a higher risk for women, like breast cancer and ovarian cancer. 

5 Reasons Every Woman Should Exercise

You may not want to hear it, but exercise is very important for you. Everyone should be fitting regular fitness into their routine, but you also have some unique benefits as a woman. Here are 5 different reasons to start exercising on a regular basis.

1. It Gives You a Natural Mood Boost

One of the great things about exercising regularly is that it makes you feel so much better. It is high on the list of the best ways to naturally make you happier and reduce stress at the same time. This is all thanks to endorphins, which are happy chemicals you already have in your brain. When you exercise, it helps you release those endorphins, helping you to feel happier and more energetic. Exercising for around 30 minutes or so a day really boosts your mood.

2. You Can Reduce Certain Health Risks

Exercise is wonderful for so many reasons, from weight loss to giving you more energy. Another reason you should exercise is because it helps to reduce your risk for serious medical conditions. This includes physical conditions like osteoporosis and heart disease, both of which are a high risk if you are a woman. Exercising has also been shown to reduce the risk of dementia in older adults. There is no cure for dementia, so prevention is your best chance.

3. It Helps with Your Sex Life

If you feel like your sex life has been lacking as of late, why not feel sexier and get more confidence with exercise? There are many ways exercising can improve your sex life. First of all, it will give you more confidence due to becoming fit, healthy, and losing weight. It can also improve your sexual desire thanks to the natural mood boost and increase in energy you get. This is great for both women and men.

4. You Can Lose Weight

The reason many women choose to exercise regularly is to help them lose weight. While you should still follow a healthy diet, exercise definitely helps you manage your weight. It is important at any age, from teen and young adult years, to being an older adult and senior. Weight loss also has other benefits, like improving your confidence, helping with your sex life, and reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis.

5. Exercise is Great for Mental Health

While your physical health is very important to pay attention to, you should also be focusing on your mental health as well. It is imperative that you not forget about your stress level and mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. Exercise can help you manage these types of mental health conditions.

Common Mental Health Issues in Women

It is essential that you really pay close attention to your mental health as a woman, just like men need to. It is imperative that you not ignore symptoms of certain mental health conditions, whether you have stress or clinical depression. Here are some of the more common mental health issues women tend to face.

Stress

This is probably one of the biggest and most common mental health issues that plagues women. While both men and women can definitely get stress, there have been many studies to show that women in general are at a higher risk for getting stress. The good news is that there are a lot of easy and healthy ways to reduce your stress levels, from changes in your job and home life, to healthy lifestyle changes like exercising more often and making sure you focus on self-care. 

Anxiety

Another big mental health dilemma among women is anxiety. Anxiety in general is equal among men and women, but there are certain types of anxiety that you are more prone to. This includes generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic attack disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and specific phobias like agoraphobia. If you struggle with a high amount of stress, that can also be a contributing factor to your anxiety or panic attacks. For anxiety, remedies range from cutting out caffeine and alcohol, to taking anti-anxiety medications.

Depression

Along the same lines of anxiety is depression, which is also a bigger risk in women. Studies have shown than women are twice as likely to get depression and have more suicide attempts. Women tend to commit suicide more often than men, and approximately 12 perfect of women are suffering from depression, while the number is only 6 percent with men. However, men are more likely to actually die from the suicide attempts. Either way, no matter your gender, you should never ignore your depression. Get help from a licensed mental health professional right away.

Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are also considered a mental health condition, and are more common in women. Men still get anorexia and binge eating disorder, but women are at a higher risk. If you feel that you might have an eating disorder like bulimia, anorexia, binge eating disorder, or overeating disorder, you should talk to a doctor as soon as you can. These disorders affect your mental and physical state, and can even be life threatening.

Everything You Wanted to Know About the Pelvic Exam

Part of being a woman is going to the gynecologist and having a pelvic exam. These typically start when you are a teenager or possibly not until you are in your early 20s. You may need to get one annually, or every few years, depending on your overall health. Here is more information about the pelvic exam.

The Pelvic Examination

If you have never had a pelvic examination before, you may be curious what is involved, but you also might just be wondering what happens during this examination, even if you have had one before. The pelvic examination is not the same thing as a pap smear, though they are often done at the same time. A pelvic exam is when your doctor looks at various pelvic organs, such as your cervix, vagina, and ovaries. They might also examine your uterus during this time. There are many reasons you might get the exam, from the fact that you just started your period, want to get birth control, or are having issues like itching, swelling, pain during intercourse, or an unusual odor.

Preparing for the Exam

The first thing you should understand is that the exam only takes a few minutes, even when a pap smear is also being done at the same time. However, you will be instructed to follow a few simple guidelines before going in for your appointment. For example, it is not uncommon to be asked not to have intercourse about 24 hours before the exam. This makes it easier for your doctor to perform the pelvic exam and see clearly the condition of your various pelvic organs.

You should also try not to use a tampon, vaginal douche, or powders in the area the day before and day of your exam.

Why it is Necessary

There are several reasons you should get periodic pelvic exams. First of all, it is good for overall gynecological health. These are often done if you are trying to get pregnant or to confirm your pregnancy, as well as to look at early warning signs of cancer. It can also help to examine the causes of sexually transmitting infections and diseases. 

Pelvic exams may also be performed if you show symptoms of certain medical conditions, including urinary tract infections, unusual discharge, and pelvic pain or bleeding. See your doctor if you have these or other odd symptoms related to your gynecological health.

Health Screenings for Women

As a woman, taking your health seriously is of the utmost importance. One way to do this is to get routine screenings that look at various aspects of your health, from your blood pressure and cholesterol, to your stamina and physical health. Here are some of the more important health screenings women need to get. 

Blood Pressure and Cholesterol

These are two simple screenings that everyone should get done regularly, including if you are a woman. In fact, women often have a higher risk for heart disease and other cardiovascular conditions, so you should start these tests around age 18-20. Your doctor may request to perform the test each year if you are at a high risk, or do them every few years when you go in for routine bloodwork. Both blood pressure and cholesterol can affect your heart health and overall health, so don’t skip this one.

Breast Screenings

As a woman, one of the most risky cancers for you is breast cancer. While men can get breast cancer, most people who get this type of cancer are women. You should get various types of breast screenings to look for signs of cancer. The first is a basic type of breast exam, where the doctor or nurse will look for signs of bumps or lumps on your breast, including examining your armpits and areolas for irregular patterns or colors. You should also get a mammogram each year starting between 40 and 50 years old, according to your doctor’s guidelines.

Osteoporosis Screenings

One of the more common medical conditions women need to be careful about is osteoporosis. This is when you lose some of your bone density, which can easily happen with women as they age. You need to focus on diet and nutrition, as well as proper exercise to help prevent osteoporosis. You can also get early treatment by getting osteoporosis screenings periodically. This often includes getting a bone density scan, then following that up with x-rays of your bones.

Blood Glucose Tests

Finally, as a woman you might be at risk for diabetes. Type 2 diabetes can occur at any time during your life, whether you are at a high risk for it or not. It is important to get routine bloodwork, including checking your blood glucose levels, so you know whether or not you are pre-diabetes or if you already have diabetes now and need to get it treated.

Healthy Habits for Women

Developing habits is a part of life and something everyone does, but you really should be focusing on the healthy habits. These are things you do on a daily basis that are good for both your physical and mental health. Take a look at these healthy habits that are great for women.

Get More Exercise

If you don’t have a regular fitness routine, now is the perfect time to start. Exercise is wonderful for anyone, male or female, but it has some unique advantages for women. Exercising can help you lose weight and manage your weight, fight diseases like heart disease and diabetes, and prevent conditions like arthritis and osteoporosis as you age. It is also great during any phase of your life, whether you are a teenager, in your childbearing years, or even as a senior adult. This is a great healthy habit to start developing now.

Focus on Your Nutrition

In addition to exercise, you should also develop a habit of eating better. Don’t try to find some fad diet just to lose weight, but choose a new way of eating that becomes a part of your lifestyle. Think of longevity and choose foods that are good for you, provide adequate nutrition, and are foods you can eat and cook easily. If your favorite food is bread, then low-carb is probably not for you. On the other hand, if you are a protein girl, you might do great on Keto or Paleo. Pick and choose based on what provides the most nutrition, but also what is manageable for your current lifestyle.

Don’t Neglect Your Mental Health

Now is also the perfect time to start developing habits that are good for your mental health as well. Far too many people, women especially, neglect their mental health. Your mental health can also have an impact on your physical wellbeing, so it is very important. Some things that can help your mental health include getting regular exercise and eating write, writing in a journal, de-stressing, when you can, and taking some time for yourself for a little self-care.

Spend Time With Loved Ones

It is really easy to become a hermit and just work and sleep, but it is important for your health and wellbeing that you make a habit of visiting others. Make plans with friends, spend time with family, and reach out to people you don’t spend a lot of time with, such as co-workers or neighbors.

Heart Disease Risks and Prevention

Heart disease affects millions of men and women, but recently it has shown to be a big problem in women. In fact, heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in older women. Now is the time to focus on your heart health and really work on preventing such tragedy. Here are some things to know about your risk and what you can do about it.

Risk Factors for Heart Disease

Many of these risk factors are far both men and women, while others are specific to being a woman. You are already at a high risk for heart disease being a woman, but there are risk factors related to your lifestyle, health, genetics, and other factors that might increase your risk for heart disease even more. With both men and women, common risk factors for heart disease include having diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), high levels of cholesterol, and being overweight. Lifestyle choices like drinking and smoking can also increase your risk. For women, there are also additional risk factors, including going through menopause and having complications during pregnancy. 

What You Can Do About Your Risk?

All women should live a healthy lifestyle and visit their doctor regularly to be examined for heart disease and other cardiovascular problems, not just those at a high risk. If you want to prevent heart disease, the first thing to do is quit smoking, eat a healthy diet, manage your weight, and get regular exercise. These are the basic principles of living a long, healthy life. Aside from that, your doctor might advise you to stop taking certain medications, look at your family history, and want to perform certain tests to look at exactly how high of a risk you have for heart complications. 

Symptoms of a Heart Attack

Even if you do everything you can to prevent heart disease, you may still be at risk. You should be aware of the symptoms of a heart attack so you can get emergency medical treatment right away. Many women don’t realize they are having a heart attack until it is too late. The symptoms may include the common pain in the left arm and shoulder and pain in the chest, but there are more subtle symptoms as well. This includes pain in the shoulder, neck or jaw, nausea or vomiting, sweating, and being lightheaded. Call your doctor if you show these symptoms, but aren’t completely sure it is an emergency. 

How to Balance Your Hormone Levels?

There are many hormones in your body as a woman that you need to work on balancing properly. These range from estrogen and progesterone, to testosterone and your thyroid hormones. Simple daily tasks can help improve your health overall and balance your hormone levels at the same time.

Signs of a Hormonal Imbalance Problem

Before looking at the different ways to balance your hormone levels, it helps to first find out if this is something you are struggling with. All women should make sure their hormones are balanced properly, but if you show signs of problems, you really need to focus on it a little more than the average woman. Some signs of hormonal imbalances include having an irregular period, trouble conceiving, insomnia, and a change in your libido. You might lose or gain weight without changing your diet, experience sever fatigue, and have mental health changes like anxiety or depression. Hair loss and changes in your appetite may also occur.

Try Adaptogen Herbs

These types of herbs are healing herbs that provide even more benefits than standard herbs. They are wonderful at helping to balance your hormones as well, so if you are looking to improve your hormone levels with herbs, those classified as adaptogens are the first ones you should turn to. These include many you might recognize, like holy basil, ashwagandha, and certain types of medicinal mushrooms. Not only can they help with your hormone levels, but they are great at lowering your cholesterol, improving thyroid function, and helping with anxiety and depression. 

Eat More Healthy Fats

You may think the words ‘healthy’ and ‘fats’ don’t go hand-in-hand, but that isn’t at all true. While you may not want to just eat unlimited fats all day long, there are healthier fats that are great for you. These can help to balance your hormones and actually help you lose weight. You want to avoid manmade and processed fats like margarine and vegetable oil, and instead go for healthier fats like grass fed butter, coconut oil, nuts and seeds, and avocados. Try to add these to your diet and you will notice all the amazing benefits. 

Improve Your Sleep

If you haven’t been getting 6-8 hours of sleep a night, it is time to rectify that. Missing out on sleep affects your body and mind, and yes, your hormone levels. If you want to balance your hormones, start focusing on getting better sleep. Try changing your sleep routines, drinking a cup of tea before bed, and not keeping your phone near you while trying to sleep. 

Lifestyle Changes to improve Your Fertility

If you are a woman of childbearing age, you might be concerned about your fertility. It is never too early to think about boosting your fertility, even if you are not trying to get pregnant right now. You can start working on your health today, then by the time you want to get pregnant, you know your body is ready for conception. Here are some easy lifestyle changes that can help to improve your fertility.

Switch to a Healthy Diet

When you suffer from fertility problems, the first thing you should do is look at basic lifestyle choices you make each day. This is often leads women to take a look at their diet. A good fertility diet is one that provides you with adequate nutrition throughout the entire food pyramid, especially looking at foods that can help balance out your hormone levels. This means plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and healthy fats. Your doctor might also have more specific recommendations for you.

Start Walking Regularly

While you don’t necessarily have to choose walking, you definitely want to get more exercise. Moving your body gets your blood pumping, helps reduce stress and anxiety, and can help with many issues surrounding hormonal imbalances and other fertility problems in women. Plus, obesity is a contributing factor to infertility, so exercise can help you lose weight or manage your current weight as well. Find a fitness routine that works for you, including your lifestyle and what your preferences are. This might include yoga and Pilates, HIIT and Tabata, home workouts, or going to the gym.

Stop Unhealthy Habits

There are also some unhealthy habits that might be hurting you more than you think. Some of these might seem harmless, while others are very obviously bad for you. For example, it will come as no surprise that cigarettes are not good for you. If you smoke regularly, it could be harming your fertility, not to mention how dangerous it is if you do become pregnant. Smoking also lowers male fertility, so both of you should quit if you can. You might also want to cut back on artificial sweeteners and processed food, caffeine, and excessive alcohol.

Take a Multi-Vitamin Daily

It is possible that you are not getting enough nutrients through your diet, so taking an extra multi-vitamin is a great thing to start doing today. Get into the habit of taking vitamins daily, and once you become pregnant, switching to a daily prenatal will be easy to do.

Natural Treatments for UTIs

A UTI, or urinary tract infection, is definitely no fun. It is not only uncomfortable, but often very painful. This information is going to give you some insight into what can be done about a UTI right at home. 

Drink Plenty of Water

The first thing you need to do if you have a urinary tract infection is to drink plenty of fluids, particularly water. These infections can get worse and much more painful if you ignore them so much to where you get dehydrated. You want to flush out the bacteria from your body, which is only possible by drinking a lot of water. While this is probably not enough on its own to treat a UTI naturally, it is definitely a good first step. You should not drink an excessive amount of water, so also keep that in mind.

Keep the Area Clean

This is good both for treating a urinary tract infection you already have, and preventing one in the future. If you tend to get frequent UTIs, you know to focus more on prevention. You always want to keep the area clean and dry. This means taking a shower every day and paying close attention to that area while washing, wearing dry and clean underwear, and trying to wear loose-fitting clothing whenever you can. You don’t want to give bacteria a place to grow. 

Get Plenty of Vitamin C

There are two nutrients that are really important for treating a UTI naturally, including probiotics and vitamin C. If you can only get one in, go for the vitamin C. You probably know this nutrient from recommendations based on preventing a cold, flu, and similar conditions. It can also help with urinary tract infections by providing more acidity in your urine to kill bacteria that ends up in that area. Get vitamin C from citrus fruits and vegetables, or simply by taking a supplement each day.

Use Heat, Not Cooling?

Since the area around your vulva burns a lot with a UTI, it might seem like you should cool it off, but that won’t soothe it like you think. You actually want to warm it up by placing a heating pad in the area, or even getting underwear just out of the dryer and putting them on. This not only soothes the area, but helps to keep it dry and kill bacteria that is causing the UTI.

Women and Stress

It is true that anyone can experience stress, but women are at a higher risk for getting this mental health condition. Stress can come from many sources, from work or school, to home life, parenting, finances, and so many other things. Here are some things to know about women and stress levels.

Signs You Are Experiencing Stress?

You may think you know what it feels like to be stressed out, but many women only realize they are stressed when it starts to truly affect other areas of their life. This can be when it is most severe for you. However, stress comes in many forms, and you might be experiencing it on an almost daily basis without even realizing. By understanding the signs of stress, you have a better chance at catching it early on so you can try some of the natural remedies listed below. Here are some signs that you might have stress:

You are waking up with headaches due to clenching your teeth

You have frequent tension headaches

Your concentration and memory is lacking

You are suffering from increased depression or anxiety

You are getting moderate to severe mood swings

You have difficulty making a decision

You have been smoking, drinking, or eating more than usual

You feel a sense of helplessness and like you are too overwhelmed

Complications and Side Effects?

Believe it or not, there are quite a few ways stress can affect you, both mentally and physically. This doesn’t even begin to cover the fact that stress can lead to problems at home, including finances, work, and with your family or friends. Aside from those complications, it also affects you emotionally and mentally. You might have heightened anxiety, more frequent panic attacks, and severe depression when you are stressed. It also increases the risk for many physical ailments, including headaches and migraines, digestive issues, high blood pressure, stroke, infections, backache, eating disorders, skin problems, bowel disorders, and many others. 

What to do About it?

As you can see, stress really takes its toll on your entire life. Looking for ways to relieve your stress should be done sooner than later. What will work for you might vary based on exactly what is causing you stress. One day, journaling might be useful, while going for a run is best on another day. Try healthy activities that take your mind off what you are stressed about, even if it’s just having coffee with friends.

Women and Obesity: Help for Weight Management

As a woman, you know that your body is your temple, and you need to take good care of it. After all, this is the only body you will ever have. A part of having a healthy body is maintaining a healthy weight. If you need to lose some weight, this article is going to be very useful for you.

How to Know You Are Obese?

Many women know when they are a little overweight, based on how their clothes fit or how they look in the mirror. However, in terms of obesity, it is a different level of being overweight. This is when you face certain negative side effects and potential complications as a result of your weight. Obesity is generally determined by your body mass index, or BMI. This is a measurement that is determined by your gender and height, as compared to your weight. There are plenty of calculators and tables online to help you figure out what your BMI is. For women, if your BMI is 25-29, you are overweight. You are in the obesity category if it is above 30. 

Common Risks of Obesity

While it might seem obvious why you are obese, this is not true for everyone. Some women exercise regularly and follow a relatively healthy diet, having no idea why they keep gaining weight, or why it is difficult for them to lose weight. Your diet can definitely play a factor in your weight, even if you think you have a healthy diet. You may be taking in too many calories, a high amount of fat, or too many carbs. Lack of proper exercise to burn fat is another issue. There are also genetics that play a role, along with medications and certain medical conditions, like thyroid diseases and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). You might want to see your doctor before you try to lose weight to figure out how you gained it in the first place.

Tips for Overcoming Obesity

If you are in the obese category according to your BMI, now is the time to start losing weight. You can make small changes at first until you get into the groove of weight loss. You really want to develop a new healthy lifestyle, not just try to lose weight for the sake of it. Follow a healthy diet, track everything you eat, drink plenty of water, and exercise 3-5 days a week to start with.

What You Should Know About Menopause

As women age, they go through various life phases, including teen years, the childbearing years, and then menopause. During menopause, you can no longer get pregnant and will not have your menstrual period for an extended period of time. Here is more information about what it is like to go through menopause.

Symptoms of Menopause?

Menopause can often sneak up on you, where you don’t realize what is happening until you see your doctor about odd physical or mental symptoms. Some women do get perimenopause first, where you experience some menopause symptoms prior to actually having menopause. This is actually a good thing because you have this for about a year before menopause, giving you plenty of time to adjust to the changes in your body.

When menopause arrives, you may have any combination of symptoms. Some women have severe hot flashes, while other women don’t have them at all. Aside from the hot flashes, you will have no more period and your PMS symptoms should be much different than they were before. You might have a little weight gain, especially around your midsection. You may also have vaginal dryness as a result of the decreased hormone levels in your body. While you can no longer get pregnant naturally, you may still be able to carry a baby through in-vitro fertilization.

When You Will Go Through it?

You can go through menopause at different ages, but the majority of women will have it occur between 45 and 55. Some women have it much younger, starting with perimenopause first. Other women luck out and last until 60 or older before going through menopause. The average age for experiencing early stages of menopause is about 51 years of age. It takes a while for your body to adjust fully to menopause, but seeing a doctor early on can make it a lot more comfortable for you.

Potential Complications

While menopause is completely normal and something most women will go through, it does have some mild complications. First of all, with the vaginal dryness and changes in your mood and physical health, you might experience a steep decline in your sexual interest. This often goes away once you get used to the changes your body is going through. You are also at a risk for medical conditions like osteoporosis when you go through menopause.

What to Know About Progesterone

As a woman, you have many different hormones to consider, which can affect your fertility and various other physical health issues. One of the hormones to be aware of is progesterone. Here is more information about this hormone and how you can balance it properly.

About Progesterone

First of all, you might not really understand what progesterone is or what role it plays in your body. Progesterone is a type of hormone that helps with many functions in your body, including helping when you are pregnant, and also aiding in your fertility. Progesterone is among the main hormones women need to keep balanced, alongside estrogen, estradiol, and many others. 

Why You Need Progesterone?

The reason doctors are concerned about progesterone levels is because of how much it impacts your body. Not just your gynecological health, but also parts of your body and mind as well. Your mental and physical health both do best when you have adequate amounts of progesterone in your body. Here are some of the primary benefits of having the right amounts of progesterone in your body:

Maintaining the lining of your uterus?

Working as a diuretic

Working alongside other sex hormones

Helping to reduce severity of your PMS symptoms

Building strong bones

Burning fat for energy

Helping with your thyroid health

Maintaining proper blood clotting

There are also other benefits, including helping you to become pregnant and have a healthy pregnancy, and even playing a role in how bad your depression is.

How to Improve Progesterone Levels?

If you feel that you are suffering from a hormonal imbalance, you are not alone. Many women deal with this problem every day. Luckily, there are some different ways you can balance your hormone levels, including progesterone, without medications. These often include changing your lifestyle to be healthier, from eating a healthy diet to making sur you exercise regularly. You also want to cut back on unhealthy habits like drinking and smoking, but try to add in some healthy fats to your diet. 

Your doctor can also provide a progesterone supplement if you are not able to improve the hormone levels on your own. It is important that you maintain good levels, especially if you are of childbearing age and become pregnant. Your doctor can perform simple tests to determine how much progesterone you are producing on your own, and what the level needs to be at. 

Vitamins and Supplements for Teens and Women

Everyone, regardless of their gender or age, should be focusing on health and proper nutrition. As a woman, there are certain vitamins that can really help with your physical and mental health, particularly with diseases and medical conditions you are at a higher risk for.

Antioxidants

You guessed it – you need your antioxidants! There are many medical conditions as a woman that can be affected by malnutrition, which is often so subtle you don’t realize it. A good place to start is by making sure you are getting the vitamins classified as antioxidants, which are vitamins C, A, and E. Vitamin C is easy to get from citrus fruits and vegetables like broccoli. You also want to try to get more vitamin A and E, all of which can help with your heart, illnesses, and infections in your body. Vitamin supplements are available if you don’t think you get enough of these vitamins through your diet.

B Vitamins

The next class of vitamins essential for women are the B vitamins. There are many different B vitamins, including B complex supplements and the B vitamins individually. All of them are important for you to grow healthy and strong, from a child to a senior woman. For example, vitamin B1 helps you to get more energy, while B5 is good for balancing your hormones. If you are in your reproductive years, folate or B9 is important to grow a healthy baby. You can get B vitamins through natural food sources or with a multi-vitamin that you take each day.

Vitamin D

Don’t forget about your vitamin D, which you can get from a number of different natural food sources. Vitamin D is going to help you build strong bones, which is essential for preventing conditions like osteoporosis. As you know, women are at a high risk for such diseases. Vitamin D can also help to improve your immune system and help give you more natural energy throughout the day. The best source of vitamin D comes right from the sun’s UV rays.

Vitamin K

Lastly, you should try to get adequate amounts of vitamin K each day, either with a supplement or with foods like blueberries, broccoli, and spinach. Vitamin K is great for your immunes system, helping you to fight off colds and other illnesses. It can also help with your digestive health and promote healthy gut bacteria.

Signs of Perimenopause?

Menopause is the stage of life that a woman goes through after she has completed her childbearing years. Once you get to menopause, you no longer need birth control as your menstrual cycle changes and you can’t get pregnant any longer. However, there is a short period before this occurs called perimenopause, where it gives you warning signs that menopause is fast approaching. Here are some signs that you are going through perimenopause.

Physical Signs?

The majority of signs of perimenopause are going to be physical, so this is a great place to start. You will notice that the signs of perimenopause vary between typical PMS and menstrual cycle signs to those commonly associated with menopause. It makes sense since this is the transitional period to menopause. Some physical signs to be aware of include having hot flashes, breast tenderness, urine leakage, urinary urgency, and discomfort during sex. You might also have vaginal dryness and a lower sex drive. Irregular periods are also common with perimenopause. 

Mental and Behavioral Signs?

There are also a few mental and behavioral changes that are common signs of perimenopause. To start with, you may feel fatigued, but not always in a physical sense. It is simply an overwhelming sense of exhaustion, often linked to high amounts of stress or anxiety during this time. You may notice that you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, that you tend to get more mood swings, and your irritability around the time you would have PMS is much worse.

Risk Factors for Early Perimenopause?

Perimenopause and menopause are not unusual, and something you should expect to experience as a woman in your 40s, 50s, or possibly even your 60s. This will occur before your periods are gone for good. Typically, perimenopause occurs for about a year before actual menopause starts. While this usually occurs with middle-aged women, it is possible that you have perimenopause symptoms at an earlier age. Women who go through this often have a genetic link, where other women in their family tree also had early menopause. You may also get early perimenopause if you have had a hysterectomy or you have gone through cancer treatments. 

While perimenopause is a normal occurrence, there can be complications if you have severe pain or heavy bleeding with clots. Talk to your doctor if these or other worrisome things are occurring and you believe it is related to your gynecological health. 

Self-Care and Wellness for Women

While you might focus a lot on your physical health, working hard to lose weight and avoid certain medical conditions you are prone to, you should also focus on your mental health. This is when you think more about general wellness and practice self-care. This can benefit nearly every facet of your life. Here are some easy ways to practice self-care and wellness as a woman.

Exercise Daily?

The first thing you can do in order to pay more attention to yourself is to exercise. This isn’t just for fitness or weight loss, but because it can help your mental wellbeing as well. Exercise is great for boosting energy and getting in a better mood thanks to the endorphins that are released. Exercising can also be wonderful for relieving stress, with just a few minutes of a walk each day. Try to find ways to get your body moving every day, whether you take a walk during your break at work, you go to the gym in the morning, or you try hiking during the weekend.

Find More Alone Time?

As a woman, your days are probably over-filled already with things to be done, but make sure you find some time for yourself. This might be just 5-10 minutes a day, so make it count. Depending on your schedule, you can choose what time of day is best. This might be a 20-minute bath in the evenings after you have put the kids to bed, or a few minutes in the morning with your cup of coffee before the rest of the household wakes up. 

Write in a Journal?

Journaling is highly recommended for anyone, but as a woman, it is even more useful for you. You might have a full schedule, a high amount of stress, or simply need to vent your frustrations without upsetting anyone else. Journals can be therapeutic and cathartic, allowing you to narrow down what is wrong, help with physical health, and improve mental health and clarity. There really is an endless amount of reasons to write in a journal, and today is a great day to start. 

Stop Feeling Guilty

As a woman, you might find that you feel guilty a lot of the time. Guilty feelings tend to be more prevalent in women, especially if you feel like you are lacking in a certain area of your life. This might be guilt over having to work while your kids are with a nanny or babysitter, guilty you don’t have enough time for your significant other, or feeling like you haven’t been spending enough time with friends. It is time to let go of that guilt and be realistic about how much time and energy you have.

Period and Menstrual Cycle Health

As a woman, your menstrual health is something you should always be concerned about. When you are between 11 and 14 (on average), you will get your first period, which then starts your regular menstrual cycles. If you are currently an older woman, you are well aware of how this works, but might not be aware that what you are experiencing is abnormal. 

A Normal Menstrual Cycle?

The term ‘normal’ is a little subjective when it comes to your menstrual cycle because it can vary between different women. What you are really looking for is your own patterns, and whether they change suddenly or not. Many people like to say a menstrual cycle is 28 days long, but it is not unusual for it to be considerably longer or shorter. The important thing is to look at changes that happen suddenly, such as missing a period completely or having several months where the length keeps changing dramatically. In a ‘normal’ menstrual cycle, you should ovulate around the same time each month and have the same type of flow.

Healthy Menstrual Period?

When you get your period, there are more things to look at to ensure it is a healthy menstrual period. Typically, you will bleed for 4-6 days, but again, this can vary. However, if you have a month where the flow is shorter or less overall than usual, you might want to tell your gynecologist. Some common issues that might warrant a visit to your doctor include a lighter or heavier flow, blood that is much darker than it typically is, blood clots, and excessive pain when you did not experience it before. 

Don’t Ignore PMS Symptoms?

PMS, or premenstrual syndrome, can also vary based on the woman. Some women start experiencing PMS symptoms around the time they get their period, while others have it worse on random months. This latter is what you are looking for. If you have always gotten a little moody and headaches before your period, it is nothing to be concerned about. However, if you are suddenly getting severe cramps, extreme mood swings, aches and pains, and migraine headaches when you never did before, that is something to tell your doctor. These PMS symptoms might be from hormonal changes, stress, and other factors that need to be addressed. PMS changes are also signs that your menstrual cycle may change as well.

Osteoporosis: Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment

One of the more common medical conditions that plagues women more than men is osteoporosis. This occurs when you lose bone mass and density, often from natural aging. This can create a lot of different issues for you, so it is best that you try to prevent it. Here is more information about osteoporosis and what you can do about it. 

Causes of Osteoporosis?

Anyone can get osteoporosis, though it is often considered something women get. This is only because the risk is much higher in women. It is something that affects millions of people around the world. There is no single cause of osteoporosis since it is simply a loss of bone density, but there are many contributing factors. If you are a woman, you are already at a higher risk. Some other risk factors include malnutrition and not getting enough vitamins and minerals, being an older adult, and having a thinner frame. You might also be at risk if other people in your family had osteoporosis. Additional risk factors include smoking and drinking, not getting enough exercise, and using certain medications.

How to Know You Have Osteoporosis?

Not sure if you are currently suffering from osteoporosis? Only a doctor can tell you that, unfortunately, and there really are no early warning signs and symptoms. However, as it progresses, you might start noticing a few changes in your body. This includes a posture that is stooped that you can’t seem to straighten out, getting shorter over time, and having back pain that never really goes away. If you are experiencing these symptoms, talk to your doctor about examining you for osteoporosis.

Preventing Osteoporosis?

When you look at the common risk factors for osteoporosis, you should be able to tell what you might be able to do to prevent it. This includes quitting smoking and drinking if you do it excessively and following a healthy diet. Nutrients that are good for preventing it and strengthening your bones are vitamin D and calcium. These are found in milk and dairy, but also in many fruits and vegetables. You should also be getting an adequate amount of exercise on a regular basis. 

Your doctor can start treating osteoporosis during the early stages by changing your diet and giving you proper medications. You may also need to be careful about falls and watch out for your physical activity if you are diagnosed with this condition.