Women’s Health

This book is about women, of all ages, ethnicities and income groups. It is said that women, always too busy nurturing others, ignore their own needs. In turn, our medical and clinical research community has ignored women. Most studies dealing with diseases concentrate on only the male population. For instance, cardiovascular disease has long been considered men’s disease but each year, 245,000 women die of coronary heart disease, making it the number one killer of American women.

There are other grim statistics. One in ten women between 45 to 64 years of age has some form of heart disease, and this increases to one in four women over 65. About 45,000 women die each year from breast cancer. More than 80,000 women in the United States between 15 and 44 are infected with the AIDS virus. More than 50 percent of all new AIDS cases in women are the result of heterosexual sex. About 24 million Americans – 80 percent of them women – suffer from osteoporosis. Women are disproportionately affected by depression, experiencing it at roughly twice the rate of men.

This book is about raising awareness about women’s health, about prevention, and the benefits of early detection and treatment if you do get sick. It is far less costly, and less painful, to prevent disease than to treat it. Prevention for women means, among other things, an annual pap smear, clinical and self-breast exams and mammography, prenatal care, regular exercise and good nutrition.

Of the 2.2 million deaths each year in the United States, more than 900,000 are preventable. While women generally live longer than men, too many women die prematurely from breast cancer, lung cancer and heart disease.

Don’t become a statistic. By taking personal responsibility for your health, you can prevent injuries and many debilitating diseases. And by incorporating some relatively simple tasks into your daily life – often requiring only minutes a day – you can live a healthy, enjoyable long life.

Behavioral Objectives

After completing this course you will be able to:

Breast Cancer

1.List various risk factors for breast cancer.

2.Differentiate between known and unknown risk factors.

3.Describe the benefits of mammography for women over the age of 50.

4.Demonstrate breast self-examination procedure.

5.Describe the anatomy of breast cancer.

6.Describe four distinct stages of breast cancer disease and appropriate therapy at each stage.

7.Describe various components of adjuvant therapy, drug therapy, and chemotherapy or hormone therapy.

Women and AIDS

8.Define AIDS.

9.List four major risk factors for women to contract HIV.

10.List five precautions to take with condoms for safer sex.

11.Describe the HIV connection between mother and child.

Preventing TSS

12.Explain the TSS-tampon link.

13.Describe five symptoms of toxic shock syndrome.

14.Discuss tampon labeling requirements.

Yeast Infections

15.List seven major symptoms of vaginal yeast infection.

16.Discuss various causes of yeast infection.

17.Describe various over the counter drugs available to treat vaginal yeast infections.

18.Discuss three simple steps that can help reduce the number of yeast infections.

Women and Nutrition

19.Discuss the importance of vitamins and minerals in a healthy diet.

20.List recommended dietary allowances (RDA) of vitamins and minerals forwomen age 19 to 50.

21.Discuss three kinds of fat and how they affect a woman's health.

22.Identify food sources that are highest in saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, and monounsaturated fat.

Eating Disorders

23.Identify six criteria for the diagnosis of bulimia.

24.Identify four criteria for the diagnosis of anorexia.

25.Describe bulimia's binge‑purge cycle and its devastating effect on a woman's health.

26.Describe the effects of anorexia on a woman's body.

27.List 9 tips to deal with the problem of bulimia or anorexia for the parents of a patient.

Infertility

28.Identify stumbling blocks that prevent a woman from getting pregnant.

29.Discuss the effectiveness and side effects of fertility drugs.

30.Discuss the option of surgery to treat infertility in both men and women.

31.Discuss the pros and cons of fertility drugs, surgery, artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization to treat infertility.

32.Identify six measures that would prevent reproductive problems.

33. Describe how a woman's basal body temperature measurement can improve the chances far conception.

34.Describe infertility tests for women only, men only, and for both partners.

C ontraceptives

35. Discuss the effectiveness, risks, and benefits of the following methods of birth control: male condom, female condom, spermicides, sponge, diaphragm with spermicide, pills, implant, injection, IUD, periodic abstinence and surgical sterilization.

36. Identify medical conditions that would outweigh the risk of birth control pills over their benefits.

Lead Poisoning

37.List 8 guidelines to guard against exposure to lead in food for consumers.

38.Describe the danger of lead poisoning in young children and pregnant women.

The Perplexities of Pregnancy

39.Describe various home pregnancy tests and how they work.

40.Describe the importance of folic acid in the diet of a pregnant woman.

41.List recommended dietary allowances for women of vitamins, minerals and protein.

Medication in Labor

42.Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of epidural drugs during labor.

43.Discuss the advantages of electronic fetal monitors.

44.Discuss the reasons for using forceps delivery and risk involved for both mother and baby.

Uterine Fibroids

45.Describe four types of fibroids and their effects on woman's health.

46.List three factors that would indicate the need for fibroid surgery.

47.Compare the risks and benefits of fibroid surgery against drug therapy.

Silicone Breast Implants

48.List the ill effects of silicone breast implants and their impact on woman's health.

49.List eight precautionary measures for woman who have silicone gel-filled implants.

Cosmetic Safety

50.Describe the usual safety precautions a woman should take while using cosmetics.

51.Identify seven ingredients that are prohibited in the manufacture of cosmetics.

Cosmetic Ingredients

52.Explain the role of following ingredients used in cosmetics

a. liposomes, nyad, vitamins, aloe vera;

b. human placenta, amniotic liquid, collagen, cerebrosides.

Hair Dye Dilemma

53.Discuss the risk of various cancers associated with the use of hair dyes.

54.List five safety precautions to be taken by women who dye their hair.

Ovarian Cancer

55.Identify groups of women tat axe at greater risk for ovarian cancer.

56.Identify factors associated with an increased risk of getting ovarian cancer.

57.Define the function of the ovaries.

58.Describe four diagnostic procedures used to detect ovarian cancer.

59.Describe and compare the risk and benefits of various treatment options, such as surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and drug therapy.

60.Define the characteristics of benign ovarian cysts.

Demystifying Men opause

61.Describe the hormone activity during menstrual cycle.

62.Discuss the.onset of menopause and its physical and psychological effect on the woman.

63.Describe hot flashes.

64.Discuss the pros and cons of estrogen replacement therapy.

Osteoporosis

65.Describe Type I and Type 11 osteoporosis.

66.Identify lifestyle factors that contribute to Type I osteoporosis.

67.Describe the importance of diet in preventing osteoporosis.

The Healthy H eart

68.Identify three major risk factors that contribute to cardiovascular disease in women.

69.Explain how various levels of HDL, LDL and total cholesterol increase or decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease.

70.Describe how other risk factors such as overweight, diabetes, stress, birth control pills, and alcohol can increase the risk of heart disease.

71.Describe the eight-step program to break the habit of smoking.

72.Discuss with your patient a dietary plan to reduce the level of blood cholesterol.

73.Discuss with your patient six simple steps that may help control blood pressure

75.Describe how the two types of lipoproteins, LDLs and HDLs , affect your risk of heart disease. Identify seven factors that determine whether your blood cholesterol level is high or low.

78.Discuss the drawbacks of hormone replacement therapy (FIRT), including the risks and benefits.

81. Describe three types of depressive illnesses: major depression, manic depression and dysthymia.

82. Identify genetic, biochemical, environmental and psychosocial factors that may contribute to depression.

84. List various health Asks associated with drug abuse for the mother and the baby.

85. Describe how medications; methadone, LAAM, Naltalxone, are used for the treatment of opioid addiction.

86. Describe the impact of substance abuse on the parenting ability of the mother.

87. List 11 important elements of a comprehensive substance abuse program for pregnant women.

88. Describe various risk factors that impact the trend of cardiovascular disease in woman.