It goes without saying that women have been taking giant strides in the contemporary world. The roles played by women are diverse. Take this for an example: Right from sports to academics, women have been making their presence felt across various disciplines. The corporate world, too, is welcoming women with open arms. Women are being provided with an opportunity to lead from the front (as part of senior leadership roles. 

 

Despite making immense progress across all major disciplines, women have been finding it hard to focus on personal development. It won’t be an overstatement to say a woman’s health tends to occupy the backseat (in most cases). The varied roles that women play in their lives leave absolutely no room for them to focus on their personal health and fitness. Not many people are aware of the fact that the last Wednesday of September is observed as National Women’s Health and Fitness Day. It is that time of year when women’s health awareness campaigns can be seen doing rounds on all major social media platforms.

 

The Ever-Growing Significance of Women’s Health Awareness

 

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is of paramount importance. Be it men or women, both of them need to work on upscaling their personal fitness and physical development if they wish to stay healthy in the long run. However, it goes without saying that there are several gender-specific needs that women require in order to stay healthy in the long run. 

 

What are Gender-Specific Needs?

 

• Ensuring adequate sexual and reproductive health facilities for all women is a must. 

• All women have the right to go through a safe and harmless childbirth experience.

• Gender-sensitive care is all about understanding the gendered experiences and patterns in women. In simple words, a gender-specific care approach should always be in tandem with a female patient (and family-oriented care). 

• It should emphasize the need to interact with female patients in a largely respectful and supportive manner. Providing continuous care to women patients in times of need is the need of the hour. 

 

The Heart of the Matter

 

The diseases specific to women are considered less significant, primarily because of the presence of diffuse symptoms in several parts and areas of the body. On the other hand, male-oriented diseases have clear-cut symptoms and, in most cases, have clear (and visible) symptoms. Plus, most of these diseases tend to attack specific organs within a man’s body. 

 

• Here is an example: fibrositis diseases are quite common in women. These diseases, however, are not considered important. Poor menstrual cycles, for instance, tend to cause reproductive hormones, such as estrogen, to fluctuate. These fluctuations tend to give rise to breast discomfort (and lumpy/heavy breasts)

• Some diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases tend to affect women during the latter stages of their life. Men, on the other hand, can contract cardiovascular diseases at a young age as well. 

• Also, anemia, thyroid gland disorders, eating disorders, and muscular and skeletal problems happen to be far more common in women than they are in men. Anaemia, for instance, is quite common in women because of menstrual blood loss.  

• Infections due to childbirth are also quite common in women. Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) and Reproductive Tract Infections (RTI) due to poor sexual hygiene need specific care. Fluid intake during UTI, for instance, needs to increase. This would help get rid of the toxins.

 

The Need to Indulge in Conversations Regarding Women’s Health and Fitness

 

The fact is that women have a highly specific set of healthcare challenges. Sweeping women’s health awareness topics under the carpet would only lead to the worsening of an already complicated situation. Here is an example: Breast cancer and Reproductive Tract Infections are 2 of the most common diseases faced by women. All of these diseases can be cured and prevented if they are diagnosed whilst they are still in their infancy. 

 

Those who wish to become mothers have a certain set of health risks and challenges to tread through. For example, obesity and weight gain can make inroads into a woman’s life after giving birth. Also, hypertension during childbirth can lead to health complications in both the mother and her child. 

 

To Draw the Curtains

 

Talking to women about the health challenges that they face would be the ideal beginning. Conversations pertaining to women’s health and fitness need to become an integral part of our daily lives. Only then will we be able to provide women (and girls) with the medical care they need in order to stay healthy over prolonged periods of time.