Women’s Health

Learning Objectives

After completing this course you’ll be able to:

1. Nutrition and Physical Activity

1. Choose a heart-healthy diet that would help reduce your risk factors for heart disease, like high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, overweight, and obesity.
2. Design a diet for a client using guidelines of Heart Healthy Diet.
3. Compare and explain in detail Heart Healthy Diet, TLC Diet, and DASH diet.
4. Describe the symptoms of lactose intolerance and suggest a few simple ways to deal with the symptoms.
5. Describe some of the serious health problems linked to obesity.
6. Describe carpal tunnel syndrome and suggest ways to prevent it.

2. Pregnancy and Reproductive Health

7. Describe menstruation and menstrual cycle.
8. Describe bacterial vaginosis (BV) and identify women who are at greater risk for getting BV.
9. Explain why women should not practice douching.
10. Describe uterine fibroids and various treatments for fibroids.
11. List some of the symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
12. Explain how PCOS is diagnosed.
13. Explain endometriosis, list its symptoms, and describe the hormonal and surgical treatment for endometriosis.
14. Explain reasons why hysterectomies are often done.
15. Compare urine and blood pregnancy tests.
16. Outline the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for pregnant women.
17. Describe the importance of folic acid for women.
18. Classify drugs according to their safety during pregnancy.
19. Describe fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and list the most common birth defects or problems of FAS.
20. Explain why mothers should breastfeed their babies for as long as possible.
21. Review various birth control methods with estimates of their effectiveness.
22. List symptoms of perimenopause.
23. List symptoms of menopause.
24. Identify the benefits and risks of hormone therapy.

3. Cancer Detection and Treatment

25. Perform a breast self-exam.
26. Explain the importance of regular mammograms and answer various questions about mammograms.
27. Discuss the pros and cons of breast-conserving surgery with radiation therapy and mastectomy for women with early-stage breast cancer.
28. Describe how a Pap test is performed and emphasize how important it is for women to take the test regularly.
29. Identify seven factors that increase a woman’s risk for cancer of the cervix.

4. Heart/Lung Conditions & Stroke

30. Describe various types of heart and cardiovascular diseases.
31. Identify five steps a woman can take to reduce her risk for heart and cardiovascular disease.
32. Describe the effects of birth control pills and hormone therapy on a woman’s risk for heart disease.
33. Explain various tests available to diagnose heart disease.
34. Identify risk factors that contribute to high blood pressure.
35. List various medicines used to treat high blood pressure.
36. Describe atherosclerosis and its major symptoms.
37. Explain angina and identify four signs that may indicate one is having a heart attack.
38. Distinguish between stable angina and unstable angina.
39. List signs of a heart attack and explain tests that can diagnose a heart attack.
40. List nine risk factors for coronary artery disease.
41. Describe the effect of the stroke on the body as it affects certain parts of the brain.
42. Identify some common triggers or causes of asthma.
43. Describe and differentiate between TB infection and TB disease.

5. Diabetes

44. Describe three types of diabetes and their symptoms.
45. Explain glucose tests that provide a diagnosis of diabetes.
46. Explain hypoglycemia and list its symptoms.

6. Kidney, Urinary Tract, and Bladder Disorders

48. Identify conditions that would put a woman at greater risk for urinary tract infection (UTI).
49. Explain how a UTI is diagnosed.
50. List some signs and symptoms of interstitial cystitis (IC) and explain how it is diagnosed.
51. Explain the bladder system and describe how it works.
52. Describe different types of urinary incontinence.
53. Describe various treatments for urinary incontinence.

7. Digestive Diseases

53. List symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and explain how diet and stress affect IBS.
54. Explain what causes inflammatory bowel disease. (IBD).
55. Describe the symptoms and treatment of two most common forms of IBD, ulcerative colitis, (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD).

8. Circulatory System

56. Describe various types of anemia and their causes.
57. List the iron requirement for children and women at various age groups.
58. List various signs of hemochromatosis and describe treatment for hemochromatosis.
59. Describe the symptoms of bleeding disorders and their treatment.
60. Explain what causes varicose and spider veins.

10. Autoimmune Diseases

61. Cite some of the most common examples of autoimmune diseases.
62. List common symptoms associated with allergies.
63. Describe the treatment of allergies and possible side effects from treatment.
64. Describe various types of arthritis and their symptoms.
65. Describe various treatments for arthritis.
66. Describe chronic fatigue syndrome, its causes, and its signs and symptoms.
67. List symptoms of fibromyalgia and explain its diagnosis.
68. Describe the symptoms of Graves’ Disease.
69. Distinguish between Graves’ Disease and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.
70. Describe various forms of lupus and their symptoms.
71. Describe four major treatments for lupus.
72. Describe various types of thyroid disorders and their symptoms.

10. Skin Conditions

73. Explain how acne develops.
74. Describe the treatment for acne.
75. Describe five forms of psoriasis and their general treatment.

11. Eating Disorders

76. List behaviors or warning signs that may indicate the presence of an eating disorder.
77. Describe various eating disorders and explain what causes eating disorders.
78. List several signs of anorexia nervosa.
79. Describe how anorexia affects a person’s whole body.
80. List several signs of bulimia nervosa.

12. Mental Health

81. Describe the three types of postpartum depression women can have after giving birth.
82. List signs of postpartum depression.
83. Describe five types of anxiety disorders and their symptoms.
84. List symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder.
85. List symptoms of specific and social phobias.
86. Describe how phobias are treated.
87. Identify various causes of dementia.
88. List symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
89. Describe how stress can affect a woman’s body and health.
90. Describe several techniques to help one handle stress better.
91. Explain what caregivers can do to prevent stress and burnout.

13. Sleep Disorders

92. Describe various types of sleeping disorders.
93. Describe the treatment for insomnia.
94. Describe sleep apnea and identify people who are more likely to develop sleep apnea.
95. Describe various symptoms of narcolepsy.
96. Describe restless legs syndrome and its common symptoms.

14. Sexually Transmitted Diseases

97. List common STDs and their symptoms.
98. Provide a classification of five types of hepatitis.
99. Outline safe-sex practices that would lower chances of getting hepatitis.
100. Describe four stages of syphilis and list signs of syphilis in each of these stages.
101. Describe the signs and symptoms of gonorrhea.
102. List symptoms of genital herpes.
103. Explain how a person can become infected with HIV.

15. Substance Abuse

104. Explain how alcohol affects women differently than men.
105. Describe fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and the birth defects or problems caused by it.
106. Outline steps to help a woman quit smoking for good.

16. Violence Against Women

107. Identify problems caused to the body by date rape drugs, such as GHB, Ketamine and Rohypnol.
108. Describe the practice of female genital cutting (FGC) and explain why it is still practiced.

17. Minority Women & Special Groups

109. Describe major health problems that affect a lot of African American women.
110. Identify health conditions for which lesbians are at risk or tend to be at greater risk than women are in general.

18. Cosmetics Safety