PRIORITIZING HEALTH - THE WOMEN OF 21ST CENTURY

Women across the globe have become increasingly independent and have become the front runners in almost every task. Not so long ago, women were subjected to a specific task as the male-dominated society had its way of going about things. But, that’s not the case anymore!?

Today, women are leading with examples like being the Deputy MD – IMF, Kiran Muzumdar Shaw – Founder & Chairperson – Biocon, Aastha Dusad – Co-Founder – MEDdelivery, Falguni Nayar – Founder - Nykaa, Anuradha Agarwal – Founder - Multibhashi, Divya Gokulnath – Co-Founder - Byjus, Sania Mirza – Tennis, PV Sindhu – Badminton, Mithali Raj – Cricket, Mary Kom – Boxing, even in the Indian army many important positions are now being withheld by females and the list is unending.

Despite facing serious hardships and social backlashes, women have fought hard and worked very hard and now the world is accepting their mettle.?

However, along with all the accolades and achievements comes physical health risks which are mostly overlooked due to the selfless inherent nature of women which increases the risk and needs to be addressed not only by the medical fraternity but personally as well.

Here are the top 5 health issues faced by women in India:

1)???Heart disease?is the No. 1?cause of death?for women.?Symptoms?of a heart attack include chest pain, shortness of breath and weakness in the arms. Women are also likely to experience shortness of breath, and nausea or vomiting. However, women may not recognize their symptoms as a heart attack, and dismiss it as working out too hard or having heartburn. And while menopause does not cause heart disease, certain risk factors are more common after menopause, such as higher blood pressure and cholesterol, and lower estrogen.

2)???Stroke:?Each year stroke affects?55,000 more?women than men. There are two types of stroke:?hemorrhagic, or bleeding in the brain, and?ischemic, or the blockage of a blood vessel that causes impaired blood flow. Although symptoms may vary depending on the underlying cause of stroke hallmark?symptoms?include difficulty with speech and numbness of extremities.?

There is also a link between pregnancy and stroke.?Preeclampsia, a condition characterized by high blood pressure during pregnancy, can increase your risk for stroke. Neurologic events in which blood clot disorders are more likely to happen because of?hypercoagulation, or excessive blood clotting, which can also occur during pregnancy. These blood clots can then restrict blood flow to your brain.

3)???Diabetes:?Although?diabetes?is certainly not exclusive to women, it does increase the risk for?heart disease by four times in women. Women are also more susceptible to diabetes-related complications, such as blindness, kidney disease and depression. Gestational diabetes is a condition that can occur during pregnancy in which your glucose level goes up and other complications develop. This occurs in at least 3 in 100 women, and treatment may include a careful diet, exercise, blood glucose monitoring, insulin injections and oral medication.?

Diabetes can also cause?difficulties?during pregnancy, including miscarriage and birth defects. Special testing and monitoring may be needed for pregnant women who have diabetes, particularly those dependent on insulin. To lower your risk for type 2 diabetes, try to maintain a healthy weight, exercise frequently and?quit smoking.

4)???Maternal health issues:?From iron deficiency anaemia to high blood pressure, the changes a woman experiences during pregnancy can impact a woman’s health.?“Preconception care is really important,” says?Jessica W. Kiley*, MD, obstetrician and gynaecologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. “Women with diabetes or high blood pressure should have these conditions under the best control possible when they plan to conceive.” Those with high-risk conditions, like major cardiac disorders and neurological issues, should discuss their care plan with their physician. And, women should not conceive immediately after having weight loss surgery.?

During pregnancy, Dr Kiley suggests making sure women have adequate nutrition and taking preventive measures by getting the appropriate immunizations. You may continue to exercise as normal, but consult your physician if you have any questions. “There’s a notion that you shouldn’t take medication during pregnancy,” says Dr Kiley. “Many conditions require appropriate medical treatment. It’s an important conversation you should have with your physician.”

5)???Urinary tract infections:?Urinary tract infections (UTIs)?occur when germs get into the urethra and start to multiply. They are particularly common in women, as they have a shorter urethra than a man does. This decreases the length bacteria has to travel to reach the bladder.?Symptoms?of a UTI include frequent urination, pain or burning when urinating, and cloudy urine. While a UTI can go away on its own, a physician can prescribe antibiotics if necessary. If UTIs become a recurring problem, other tests can reveal if the urinary tract is normal.

With the multiple roles our Women are playing today of being a professional, daughter, sister, mother & wife it is extremely important to care for one’s health and in-time diagnosis is the need of the hour. Along with this, it’s also very important that the required medicines are easily available at the retail counters and for that, the MEDdelivery’s platform is playing an important role in solving the problems faced by the local retailers for their daily procurement and making sure that every medicine reaches the retail counters in trying to reduce prescription bounce.

We at MEDdelivery salute our female friends once again wish all our friends a very happy Women’s Day.